


Is This the End?

by LCar



Category: The Walking Dead & Related Fandoms, The Walking Dead (Comics), The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: BAMF Beth Greene, BAMF Carol Peletier, BAMF Daryl Dixon, BAMF Glenn Rhee, BAMF Maggie Greene, BAMF Rick Grimes, Cheating Lori Grimes, Daryl Dixon & Beth Greene Friendship, Daryl Dixon & Carol Peletier Friendship, Daryl Dixon & Glenn Rhee Friendship, Daryl Dixon Needs a Hug, F/F, F/M, Good Sibling Merle Dixon, Insecure Daryl Dixon, Lori Grimes Being an Asshole, M/M, Multi, Past Lori Grimes/Rick Grimes, Protective Rick Grimes, Slow Burn Daryl Dixon/Rick Grimes, like seriuosly slow, rick grimes - Freeform, sometimes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-17
Updated: 2021-02-21
Packaged: 2021-03-05 02:22:01
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 58,543
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25343143
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LCar/pseuds/LCar
Summary: Somehow they are given a second chance to make things right. While they don't know who remembers and who doesn't they do know that they have to get the family back together and somewhere safe. Follow the journey as the family starts to awaken and make plans for the future.
Relationships: Aaron/Eric Raleigh, Aaron/Jesus (Walking Dead), Aaron/Jesus/Eric Raleigh, Bob Stookey/Sasha Williams, Daryl Dixon & Carol Peletier, Daryl Dixon/Rick Grimes, Eric Raleigh/Jesus, Lori Grimes/Shane Walsh, Maggie Greene/Glenn Rhee, Michonne/Michonne's Boyfriend Mike/Terry (Walking Dead: Michonne Special)
Comments: 207
Kudos: 293





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> So I've been obsessed with time travel and fix-it fics for awhile and decided to try my hand at it. I have a pretty definitive direction I want to go in but am not adverse to some feed back. I will try and update when possible but as we all know the real world won't always allow us to do what we want when we want.

Rick looked around at the ruins that had been Alexandria and felt a bone chilling terror. He had finally made it back home, but it was too late. Everything was gone, the city burned to ashes and no one around. THE Kingdom and Hilltop were gone too. If it had just been one he might have had hope but then there were also the blood soaked spikes bordering each community. He didn’t know exactly what had happened but seeing the utter desertion of the other communities and the ruins he was now facing he knew that they were all gone.They were all gone. His family gone and nothing but bitter ashes and rubble as far as he could see. He had fought so hard to make it back to them to let them know that he hadn’t given up on them and it was too late.

He remembered the laughter of Judith when she was playing with Maggie. The beautiful smile of Michonne when she beat Tara in a bet. He remembered the soft smile on Carols face after she was finally able to retire. He remembered all the little things that made his family so special and felt his heart squeeze tight. While he had loved Michonne he recognized now that it had been circumstances that had made the relationship happen. While he would always care for her and remember her as family she wasn’t the one who his heart longed for, the one that his psyche called out for and longed to have next to him again.

Because most of all he remembered the steadfast feeling of Daryl at his shoulder. He remembered every time that Daryl held him up over the years, starting with the death of Lori. The way his dark blue eyes would squint at him as though he could read every thought that Rick had. Suddenly it was as though his spine was struck with lightening. How could he have not realized that Daryl wasn’t his brother, he was the other half of him? Because so many strong emotions felt towards men had to be labeled, he had labeled it as a brotherhood, but it wasn’t. It was a true partnership in every way but as carnally intimate because they had always had a physical intimacy that showed their love and trust for each other. Rick realized that every day even up until the day they thought he had died Daryl had shown his respect, support and admiration for Rick even when he thought that Rick was being stupid. He remembered that one of the last things Daryl told him is that he would die for him and Rick had just taken it for granted that he would always be there.  
With tears clogging his throat Rick remembered a conversation with Jenner from so many years ago.

“There’s your chance, take it” Jenner said to Rick with pity.  
“I’m grateful, “replied Rick gruffly.  
With sadness in his eyes Jenner replies, “the day will come when you won’t be.”

Rick wishes that he only knew then what he knew now. There would be no second chances. The people that they had lost could have survived if he just knew what he needed to become earlier. He could have found them a safe place and they would have been strong. They would have survived. Even Lori might have been able to make it, though he knows now that he still would not have reconciled with her.

With a heavy heart and tears in his eyes Rick put the python to his temple and prayed to a God he wasn’t even sure he believed in anymore. He prayed that he would be reunited with his family and with the love of his life. Then he pulled the trigger and knew no more.


	2. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Follow as the family starts to awaken to their old lives and make decisions on how to get the family back together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited chapter 7/18/20  
> So I did do a little editing on this chapter as I realized the time-line needed to be a little different especially for those that had to worry about detoxing or helping others to detox. Also by moving the timeline back a little I will be able to bring back other characters I was unsure of.  
> Edited 7/19/20  
> Edited again as I realized I was mixing up present and past tenses. While obviously a different timeline this should definitely be in present tense.

_Outside Blue Ridge, Georgia- 9 months pre-apocalypse_

Awakening with a muffled curse and falling out of bed, Merle Dixon’s first words in what seemed like years was “Sum bitch!” spit out with venom. Sitting up Merle first looks to his right where he expects to see a stump and is shocked instead to see his whole arm again. Looking around he recognizes one of the interchangeable hotel rooms that he and Daryl had stayed in together so long ago with the peeling wallpaper and dripping faucet in the bathroom. He looks to the other bed and sees his brother sprawled across the bed with an arm thrown over his forehead and dirty, yellowed sheets bunched under him. Breathing out deeply Merle takes a moment to realize that he was back to before it had all begun.

While he is unsure if there were others that remember, including his brother, he knows that he was going to have to make some changes. First, he's going to need to get clean, not just for the group but for himself and his brother. His fool self-had been lucky he wasn’t killed earlier with the things he was doing. He's going to have to learn to work with the group and he needs to make sure that he is seen as an asset and not a liability. He's also going to have to do a bit of groveling with the china man and his little girlfriend if he has any hope of being in the group if they remembered.

“Korean, he was Korean”, Merle mumbles to himself. That was going to have to be one of the changes he made. He had served his country and served with many races and sexual orientations and had no problem. He's going to have to push down the racist and stereotyping thoughts his father had tried so hard to instill in him before he found his own way of thinking. This is another reason he needs to get clean. He knows he had become a stereotypical sounding racist, sexist jackass hick when he was high and that really wasn’t who he was anymore. He was a better man than his father had tried to make him, and he would prove it to himself, to his brother and to those that became his brother’s family.

His brother had obviously died but he remembers how the group was with Daryl when he saw them together at the prison after leaving the Governor. They didn’t just look at Daryl to hunt for them and provide food, he was looked at with respect, admiration and possibly even love. If nothing else his brother deserved to be reunited with those who had become his family after Merle had left him once again. While he might not have been the best at protecting him growing up, he would show his brother that he loved him and would protect him. His daddy weren’t here no more to look down on them and beat them for showin feelings and his brother needed to know that he had more than just the family he had made there for him.

Merle takes a deep breath and decides that the first thing on the long list of shit he has to do is to find out how long they had until the end. He needs to get clean and they need to find Officer Friendly. While he isn’t going to be best friends with the son of a bitch, he knows that his brother trusted him and he had tried to do right by ol’ Merle, even if it was after the fact. Merle knows one thing for sure there would be no joining the Governor and if they was lucky maybe they wouldn’t have to worry about that asshole at all. Taking one last look at his little brother he heads to the bathroom to get the day started. There was a lot of shit to do and he needed to start now.

_Jacksonville, Florida- 9 months pre-apocalypse_

Blinking his eyes open, Tyreese looked at the ceiling disoriented. Groggily he lifts his hands to his face to wipe at the sleep in his eyes before remembering he was supposed to be missing his left arm and looks down dumbfounded to see it still there. Looking around wildly after realizing his arm was still attached, his eyes landed on the picture of himself and Sasha on her graduation day that was sitting on his nightstand. Seeing that picture made him pause and pay attention more closely to his surroundings.

It was only then that he realizes that the alarm clock next to him is playing NPR and his phone is ringing and close to vibrating off the nightstand. Slowly he reached out and grabbed the phone looking blankly at the words FIREHOUSE flashing across the screen. Unsteadily he sits up and slowly swipes his finger to answer the phone. Before the phone was even to his ear he heard the captains’ voice asking what was going on with him and his sister and why they weren’t already there. Breathing out unsteadily Tyreese spoke into the phone letting his boss know that he and Sasha were down with the bug that had been hitting their station so hard this month. After giving his best wishes for the siblings to feel better and to keep in touch the captain hung up and Tyreese was left to stare blankly at the phone in his hand.

With a jerk he realizes that his sister was never late for work and hurried to get out of bed and find her. Before he could even get near the door it burst open and there was Sasha. With a keening wail she throws herself at him and buries her face into his neck. This reaction made Tyreese realize that as much as he wishes it wasn’t true, that it had been a nightmare he was waking up from it wasn't. It was something that they had both lived through. Gently he peeled Sasha away and looked into her face.

“What happened,” he asks her while gently wiping the tears from her eyes.

“Bob was gone, you were gone, Noah and Beth were gone, and I just couldn’t keep going. We found a place, but it wasn’t home because we hadn’t all made it there. Then there was a man and he killed Glenn and Abraham and I just couldn’t keep going so I decided to use myself as a weapon and save everyone.”

Eyes wide Tyreese stared at Sasha and then pulled her into his arms. Rubbing her back he frantically started thinking. Should they try and find the others, or would they be better on their own?

As though she could read his mind Sasha pulled away and looked him in the eye.

“We have to find as many of them as we can. Things are going to have to be different, but they were our family and I want to be with them. I don’t know if we should try or even if we would be able to find Bob and Karen, but we have to find the rest.”

Tyreese knows that he isn’t going to be able to find Karen. He doesn't know what her last name is or even where she is from. While he knows he had cared for her deeply he realizes that he had needed someone that wouldn’t force him to do the things that were needed for the hell that was happening around them. Nodding his head, he agrees with her and says, “I think we need to at least find Bob and if we can help him detox. I don’t know how but I know we will reunite with our people because you’re right, they are family.”

The siblings start by looking at the calendar to see how long they have which is only nine months. They can do it; it's going to be hard, but they know what needs to be done. They would gather what they could and put in for emergency leave from work. They’d find Bob and get him clean before working their way to where they knew to find their family. They would have to find somewhere to stay but they needed to be near the prison as that was the only place they could think of to find their family.

“Do you really think if any of them remember they’ll go to the prison? A lot of bad stuff happened there, and they might not feel safe with the Governor so close again” Tyreese asked remembering the first time that they met Rick and the way the man had turned them out.

“They’ll ‘ll go be there. Rick did right by us, and we were part of his family. If he remembers he’ll go there for us but even if they don’t remember we’ll be close to Hershel’s and can find them.” With a nod Tyreese agrees to the plan and takes a deep breath. The world might be ending again soon but he would be with his family, and this time he would make sure he was able to keep them safe.

_Eatonton, Georgia- 8 months pre-apocalypse_

The ache in her arm and neck are what awakens Carol. While she is used to waking up with aches and pains daily these are to reminiscent of the pain that was dealt out to her by Ed. She opens her eyes slowly and is first met with the sight of the pale yellow walls and lace curtains she hasn’t seen in going on ten years. Slowly she looks down and sees the faded yellowing bruises in the shape of fingers on her arm. She wonders if she has finally had a mental break and that is why she is dreaming about things she had thought long forgotten. There’s a slight creaking of a door opening that makes her whip her head towards where she remembered the door being. Before she can even draw another breath her daughter is rushing into the room and into her arms.

“Momma, I’m sorry that I ran away. I’m sorry that I didn’t listen to Mr. Rick” Sophia softly murmurs into her mama’s chest. With those words Carol tightens her arms around her daughter and gasps before breaking into tears. She doesn’t know what this is but it doesn’t seem to be just a memory, her daughter holds too much weight to just be an illusion her mind is making up.

“What the hell woman!!! Stop coddling that little bitch and bring me my breakfast, I gotta get to work” Ed shouts from the doorway jerking Carols head up.

Fearing that he would see the rage and pain in her face she quickly lowers her head and nods, gently untangling Sophia’s’ arms from around her. She slowly gets up making sure to keep her head lowered submissively and shuffles past him into the kitchen. She knows what she needs to do but she needs to time it right. Ed would not be allowed to leave with them if or when the time came. She had a new family and they would help her protect Sophia and make sure she made it this time. While she wasn’t sure about who may or may not remember she was sure that her pookie would remember and together they would find the rest of their family and get them somewhere safe.

_Atlanta, Georgia- 7 months pre-apocalypse_

_“Here we go again_

_we’re sick like animals_

_we play pretend_

_you’re just a cannibal_

_and I’m afraid I won’t get out alive_

_no, I won’t sleep tonight”_

Glenn awoke with a jerk hearing the upbeat music playing what seemed to be prophetic signal to the universe. Looking to the left he sees the bright digital display of his clock and blinks. Somehow, he was back on his futon mattress in his rundown apartment in Atlanta, back before hell came to live on earth. The last he remembered was looking into Maggie’s eyes and telling her that he would always find her. Looking to the calendar of classic cars, featuring a mustang that he has hanging to the right of him, he realizes that he has just about 4 months in order to get ready.

He remembers the fear that swept the city when they first decided to make it a refugee center and the gut feeling that he had to get out of the city before it had been blown to bits. He remembers stumbling into the quarry looking for help and finding the people that would become his family. Remembering all of those he had come to think of family makes him decide that the time for rest is gone and he needs to make a game plan. He knows that they can’t save everyone, but he knows that the family needs to be together and that most if not all of them will remember and be better equipped to save as many people as possible.

Glenn remembers the grief that Daryl went through when Merle was lost to them not just once but twice. He remembers the sacrifice that Merle made for his brother and though they will never be close, realizes that he could help them to stay safe from assholes like the Governor. While he wants to make sure that the whole family is there, they need to make sure that they are all as safe as possible. They would have to make some stops and hope they could get all their family, but Alexandria is not going to be their home. He's unsure how he will get some of the family like Tara, Noah, Aaron, Eric and Jesus without triggering horrible events.

There was so much that they had to do to get ready and Glenn was smarter now and knew that he could be a strong leader. He would make sure that he met his family at the quarry and would make sure that there was no way Shane was in charge. They needed to keep things level until Rick could join them and then they would save as many as they could. And then when they had the whole family they would find their new home, one that would not get taken away from them


	3. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some more of the family have their memories come back and make some decisions on what they need to do to reunite with their loved ones while others remember but are unsure of what to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So we have some more of the family coming back and remembering early. After this chapter we're going to go ahead and see where some of the others that have already remembered are and what they've accomplished before we delve back into more becoming aware of past memories and what needs to be done.  
> *Edited 07/19/20  
> realized that the tenses needed to be changed from past to present. sorry about the confusion and hope you enjoy.

Washington D.C, 6 months pre-apocalypse  
When he smells the apple shampoo and feels the lithe body wrapped in his arms Aaron is sure that he must finally be in heaven. Gradually he move as close as he can to the body in front of him, sighing with contentment. Aaron is afraid to open his eyes and realize that he is just dreaming again as he had for so long after he had lost Eric. Hesitantly he opens his eyes and looks at the burnished hair in front of him. While a part of him is surprised that Jesus wasn’t here in his heaven, he guesses he couldn’t have everything his heart desires.  
Looking around the room, expecting to be hit with a wave of nostalgia at memories they had made here, instead Aaron is surprised to see that it looks exactly as it did just before the walkers came. They had been on a weekend trip to recharge away from all the stares and slurs, so their bags had still been packed and on the floor by the wall closest to the bed. Warily Aaron pushes himself up and is startled when he realizes he can feel his entire left arm. Glancing down he sees his arm intact and is unsure what is going on.  
“Aaron, what’s going on? How are we back here?”  
“I’m not sure. I thought I was in heaven at first, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. Then I thought maybe it had been a bad dream until you spoke of being back here.”  
“Do you think it’s going to happen again?”  
“I think it is. I think we are being given a second chance for a reason and I think we need to make the most of it” Aaron says determinedly. Then with a quick exhale and squeeze of the eyes he murmurs, “I need to tell you something love, and I hope it doesn’t change anything…”  
Before the words even finish making their way out of his mouth Eric is turning to him with a soft smile and love shining in his eyes.  
“I know you must have moved on and I’m happy that you did. I know that you have so much love in your heart and you would have needed someone to help you to stay sane in the horrible world we ended up in. Can I ask who it was?”  
“Jesus. After you...turned,” he gasps out, “there was so much that happened. We lost Rick and others and it just got to be too much. He was training me and just spending the time with him meant so much and one day I looked at him and he wasn’t just my friend anymore, he was so much more. But I lost him before anything happened.”  
“if we have another chance, I think we should try and find him.”  
“I...”  
“Even though you loved him as more than a friend he was my friend too. I think we should find him and then look for the rest. I’m not saying I’m going to step aside because I won’t, but we’ve talked about having a third before and I can’t imagine a better man than him. Except maybe Daryl which we know will never happen with hoe he feels for a certain someone. Do you think Daryl will remember? I think he would be our best bet besides Rick.”  
“Yeah, Daryl will remember. He has too big of a heart not too,” replies Aaron with a small bittersweet smile. “But there’s other things we need to gather as well. Things that will help us to survive and hopefully stop us from having to rely on others besides the family. Things that could have helped us save so many more lives.”  
“Ok. So first we put feelers out for Jesus, then we start gathering what supplies we can while we try and find the others. I might not have had as long with them, but they were family and accepted us. I think we should definitely find them.”  
“We need to find Denise too. Even if she doesn’t remember she should be with us. There were other good people in that community, but we can’t stay and save them all. We just need to hope that with a second chance things will go better for them.   
Course of action decided, the two reluctantly climb out of bed to start preparations. According to the calendar they only have six months but who knew if the timeline would be the same given the fact they were about to redo it all.

Atlanta, Georgia- 6 months pre-apocalypse  
Daryl doesn’t know what's wrong with his damn brother, but he's not sure if he wants to complain. Three months ago, his brother woke him up said he needed to get clean and they had some planning to do. It had been hard going the first few weeks, and Daryl was sure that his brother would give up before he got clean, but he was never so happy to be proven wrong. While he's happy his brother seemed to want to change, it felt like he had become a whole other person overnight. He had them staying in an Econo Lodge outside Atlanta and was going to the library it seemed every day. But the strangest part was all the supplies he kept bringing back saying the family was going to need it. He and Merle were the only blood kin left he knew of and Merle used to drill that in his head over and over. Merle would just let out a cackle and tell him “you’ll see” whenever Daryl questioned him.  
“I’m goin’ huntin’,” Daryl calls to Merle needing to get away and do some thinking about what's going on.  
“Don’t go far baby brother, we stills got a lot to do and we may be moving here soon to get where we need to be”, Merle replies cryptically.  
“Pssh… Don know why ya ain’t just tell me what the hell’s goin’ on. Tryin’ ta sound so damn cryptic and shit…” Daryl mutters under his breathe. Out loud he says, “yeah I’ll be back ‘for the morning’ then we’s goin’ have us a little talk, you hear?”  
Before Merle can reply Daryl slips out the door with his crossbow over his arm and starts walking towards where he knows there were some woods. He just needs a few minutes to take a breath and center himself. He don’t know why but the longer the time goes on the tighter his chest starts feeling, like he was supposed to be somewhere else…with someone else. “Damn imagination keeps goin’ wild on me. Better figure this shit out and quick.”  
Daryl's so lost in thought he doesn’t even realize he's in the woods until he hears a branch snap in front of him. Lifting his crossbow automatically as though it were an extension of himself, he goes still and squints his eyes to look out in front of him. “Damn squirrel” Daryl mutters “go on get ain’t goin’ waste these bolts on you.” Looking down he sees some tracks that look like a buck and decides to start tracking. He won’t shoot the damn thing since he has no way to prepare the damn thing, but it would help his mind to get calm.  
He follows the tracks for what seems like hours until he comes across a small clearing and a chill goes down his spine as he takes a deep breath and the smell of the wet dirt fills his nose. Suddenly bright, crystalline blue eyes seem to appear in front of him, looking at him with concern and with respect. Shaking his head, he looks around again and then hears a voice say, “you’re my brother.”  
“What the hell” Daryl mutters spinning around thinking his brother was playing a trick on him but there is no one there. Those eyes though he had been seeing them in his dreams lately, never saw the rest of the face just those eyes and they always held so much emotion. Respect, concern, worry, grief and at one point it seemed like love though Daryl didn’t know much about that kind of shit. Suddenly a sharp pain hits his temple and Daryl falls to the ground, groaning, wondering what the hell was happening. Then just as sudden as it was there it was gone and Daryl can only whisper one word, one name, that comes out guttural and full of pain and sorrow, “Rick.”


	4. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter we follow some of the already aware come to run into more of the family and see how they learn to interact with each other again on their way to becoming a family again and finding the rest of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So unfortunately I had to delete this chapter and repost as it wouldn't let me do the large amount of edits I had to do. If you've already read the chapter your ok I just changed a lot of the tenses throughout the story to keep it in the present and changed only a few words for flow and conciseness.

Atlanta, Georgia- 6 months pre-apocalypse  
NOON  
It was odd how once she made the decision to leave Ed for good this time things just seemed to fall into place for Carol. Slowly over a few days she has started to gather what she and Sophia need to take with them when they leave. First, she gathered things like her sewing kit which included safety pins, scraps of cloth in both strips and squares, scissors, multiple size sewing needles and many spools of both thick and thin thread. Next, she starts to act as though she’s going through their winter clothing and making sure that it was mended where needed as well as “packing” the summer clothes away in large plastic bins. Then it was “refilling” the first aid kit with more bandages, gauze pads, iodine, witch hazel, alcohol, cotton balls, and pain relievers. Finally, she makes him “suggest” that she organize their camping supplies so that it was out of the way in the garage for the MRE’s he had ordered. When she first heard about the MRE’s her heart stuttered for a moment in her chest thinking he had remembered too until he said something about making sure he wasn’t caught unawares.   
The day before the MREs arrive it is as though a ray of sunshine is shining on her and Sophia. Ed got called to go to his parents out of town and said that she and Sophia needed to stay home and make sure that everything got put away before he got back. As soon as she’s sure that he is at least half-way gone she starts packing the station wagon. Using all the skills she had learned last time she gets everything put into large plastic storage bins labelled on the outside and waits for the MRE’s. As soon as they are delivered, they are packed into the back of the station wagon with the other supplies, and Carol grabs Sophia and they’re on their way.   
Using the money that she had been squirrelling away for years using the change and gifts from Ed’s parents to Sophia on her birthday, they’re able to make their way to Atlanta where she rents a storage locker two blocks away from the shelter that she and Sophia are going to stay at. She hates having to do it, but she doesn’t want to raise any alarms with those at the shelter. The woman in charge helps her to get a part time job at a doctor’s office not far where their staying that she can do some light receptionist work and squirrel away a little more to help her get more supplies.   
On the third day of her new job, the doctor decides to order pizza for the office since they were closing early.   
Hearing the chime indicating someone was at the door, Carol listens with half an ear as one of the other girls answers. The next sound she hears makes her heart stutter for a moment. As much as she had really believed that she had lived through some kind of horror hearing that voice made her know that it had really happened.  
“Glenn” she whispers upon seeing the young man in front of her.  
His head jerks up in surprise and a smile breaks across his face as he almost drops the pizzas in his haste to get to her.  
“Carol, oh God, I thought I was crazy after so long of not being able to find anybody. I almost gave up and thought that I must have been wrong.”  
“Me too, Glenn, me too. We have a lot to talk about but not here, not know” Carol whispers as she looks at her coworkers who are looking at them with mild interest. “When do you get off? Can you meet me here soon so we can talk?”  
“Yeah I get off in a couple of hours we can meet wherever you want.” Then hesitantly he looks at her and asks, “what about Ed and Sophia?”

“Don’t worry about Ed, I laid out a false trail for him and by the time he figures it out I’m sure we’ll have come across more of the family and we won’t need to worry. As for Sophia she’s with me and she’s safe. I’ve already started teaching her some things and made sure she even has a compass to help with direction.” She takes a deep breath and with steel in her voice says, “I won’t lose her again. Not for anything.”   
With a plan in mind the friends part ways hoping that with this one connection it will help them to start connecting to the others of their group.

2 PM  
When Merle calls a break and tells Daryl to pick a place to eat, he couldn’t have been happier. He he’s still reeling from the memories that have started to come back faster and faster. Remembering Merle, the farm, the prison, and everybody they had lost. The most staggering memories that had come were concentrated around Rick and his feelings. He recognizes now that he had been in love with the man, probably from the beginning. And that was a tough pill to swallow. While he wants to find the family just as much as Merle, he knows he hasn’t had enough time to process these emotions and isn’t sure how he’ll be able to act normal now that he knows.   
“Les go there” Daryl says pointing to a little diner that sat on the corner near the library they had just left.  
“Sounds good little brother, I could use a big burger right about now” Merle replies with a slap on his shoulder making the younger man wince.  
As soon as they walked in Daryl squints a little at the change in brightness. While his eyes were still adjusting, he hears his name said both happily and with shock followed by his brothers’ name with reserve. His head shoots up, those voices were voices that he had heard over and over in his dreams in the last months. There right in front of him stood Carol with tears in her eyes and she just lunges at him and he has no choice but to grab her tight as she breaks into sobs. Looking to the side he sees Glenn with a concerned look on his face and looking just a little lower made his breath hitch for there stood little Sophia.   
After he let her go Glenn steps right into him and hugs him tight. Feeling the young mans arms around him makes him gasp and shudder but when he finally hears the words Glenn iss whispering over and over that’s what breaks Daryl and makes him sob.   
“It’s not your fault, none of it. It’s not.”  
Finally, after what feels like hours Daryl raises his head from where it had been buried in Glenn’s neck and wipes his arm across his face smearing tears and snot all over.  
“Still not one for manners, huh pookie?” the words are said with a fond smile and love shining out of her face.  
“Well hello there little mouse and Mr. Korea, how we doing today?” His brother jovially says much to the shock of the others.  
Glenn looks at Daryl questioningly wondering how this could be the same asshole that they had known before.  
“He ‘membered ‘for I did. Decided to get clean and said he needed to help me find my family. Said he wasn’t gonna let hiself left behind and he needed to make amends or some shit so he’s could be with us.”  
Seeing the look on Glenn’s face Merle holds his hands up and looks deep into Glenn’s eyes. “Now I knows I was an asshole and still am, there’s no denying that but I need to stay with my brother this time. I think maybe we need to sit down somewhere and have us a long talk.”

4 PM  
The room is filled with tension as the Dixon brothers look at the others sitting around the table. No one is sure who should be the one to break the silence, so it has been going on for an uncomfortable period. Finally, Sophia pipes up in her sweet little voice talking to Daryl.  
“My mama told me about how you looked so hard for me. She told me that you became her best friend in the whole world, and she couldn’t wait for us to meet for real this time.”  
“Your mama was and still is my best friend. No matter what that will never change” comes Daryl’s reply as he looks shyly towards the little girl that he wished he had been able to save.  
“Pookie, I know that there were some shitty things that happened there towards the end but I want you to know that I cherish your friendship and am truly sorry I couldn’t handle things better.”  
“I think some things are better left for you and me to talk about later, just you and me. Right now, I think we need to let Glenn ask the questions that are burning to jump out his mouth.”  
“I just…I don’t understand. You were such an asshole and so violent. Was that an act…I mean is this the real you or was that it? I need to understand. I mean if you hadn’t done what you did to me, but especially Maggie I think I could deal with you better but I gotta understand what happened.”  
“I am still an asshole, though I’m trying to temper that more now and I can still be violent fuck but honestly most of it was the drugs and the feelin’ of no control. Our daddy used to tell us that real men didn take shit from no one, and that them coloreds and women should be beggin for us to pay ‘ttention to them. I went into the army to get away from the asshole and unfortunately first commanding officer was a man o’ color and I kept hearing my daddy’s words in my ear, so I punched him and got kicked out. After that I felt like I weren’t no better than him, so I’s started doing the same shit he did. It took seeing how you guys treated Daryl to realize maybe it weren’t just in our genes to be redneck assholes.”  
“I mean I’m happy to learn more about you guys but really my main concern is are you going to do those things again to us? To Maggie?”  
“I’ll be honest the main reason I got so pissed and grabbed you and your girl were cause you tol’ me to trust ya and the last time I was with ya I got handcuffed an’ left on a roof.” Merle waved at Glenn as his mouth opened to retort. “I know ya’ll came back and I was an impatient ass an’ didn’ trust my brother to get me. But like I said were a trigger when ya tol’ me ta trust ya and I remembered what I had to do get back ta my brother. Now I’s not sayin’ that the world we was livin’ in won’t make ya do shit but really, I ain’ goin’ be no henchman for an asshole like the Governor again,”  
Glenn looks to Daryl and asks him the question of whether to believe him or not with his eyes. While Merle was Daryl’s brother Glenn knew he would never put their family at risk not even for blood. When Daryl meets his eyes unflinchingly and gives just the smallest nod Glenn breathes out in acceptance.  
“Ok, I trust Daryl so I’m going to trust you, but Merle…I’m not sure if the others will, even with Daryl’s backing. It’s not just me and Maggie you gotta apologize to you know?”  
“I know but I’m telling you I have more to lose than ever did before. I’m going to make sure the group knows I’m a better man than our daddy was and that I’ll protect all of you no matter what.”  
“All right guys we know that we still have 6 months until it starts. We’ll work on our trust with each other while we get ready. There’s still a lot to do and we don’t have much time.” With those words Carol stands up and looks around at her family, including the newest member and nods. They were going to be fine, just fine.


	5. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Follow the Greene family as they are brought back to a world and people they never thought they would see again. Also looks like it might be time for a few more family members to make some connections with others.

_Senoia, Georgia- 6 months pre-apocalypse_

The first sound to filter into Hershel’s head is the sound of a rooster crowing. At first, he’s just mildly confused because he doesn’t remember anyone bringing back more livestock on any recent runs. Then there was the short hoarse shout that reverberated through his head, it was his sons voice he’s hearing but his son has been gone for a long time. When he hears the shout of “dad” again he jumps up and quickly reaches for the crutches before realizing that he is standing on two legs. Perplexed even more now he takes a second to look at his surroundings and is even more surprised at seeing the once familiar surroundings of his room back at the farm.

“Hershel, was that Shawn, is he ok?” is called softly from the bed.

Hershel’s head whips around from the lace curtains he had been staring at with tears and his eyes and is confronted with the face of his wife. He staggers back a step unbalanced at the sight of someone else who had been long dead. He is torn once more from his stupor when the door is suddenly pushed open and his daughter’s rush into the room and run towards him.

“Daddy what’s going on, what happened? Was that Shawn? I…I don’t understand” is said frantically by Maggie.

“That was Shawn. I think we need to see what’s going on with him” is Hershel’s gruff response.

The three quickly move to Shawn’s room where they find him sweating on the bed with glazed, unfixed eyes. The three gradually approach the bed hoping not to startle the young man too much.

“Dad…I don’t…It was horrible. There was a man, but something was wrong with him and I…I don’t remember but he just attacked me and then I felt a burning and…” Shawn rambles as he finally looks at his father with glassy eyes.

“Son I know that you have some questions and I think we can answer them, but we need you to calm down and then we’ll all meet for breakfast and talk. I promise we’ll try and help you to understand as soon as possible”.

“Hershel, girls what’s going on? Are you okay Shawn?” Annette says from the doorway.

The girls’ heads whip around at the sound of her voice and Beth gasps out “mama?” before running towards her and lunging into the woman’s startled embrace.

“Hershel, seriously what is going on?” asks a bewildered Annette.

“Honey I promise we will answer as many questions as we can but let’s give Shawn some privacy to clean up while you start breakfast. I just need to have a quick word with the girls and then we’ll come and help”.

“Okay Hershel Greene, but we will talk about what’s going on in this house sooner rather than later”. With that the woman turns in the doorway to get dressed for the start of the day.

“It’s ok son, we’ll stand right outside the door and wait for you so we can all go down together ok?”

At the nod from his son Hershel herds his daughters into the hallway and quietly shuts the door. After turning he just takes a moment to take in the beautiful sight of his girls. Then taking a deep breath he looks at them and asks, “so I’m guessing it wasn’t a dream then?”

“No Daddy. It wasn’t. When I woke up this morning and saw my old room I thought for sure I must be in heaven but then Beth came rushing in and she started asking about the others and what happened and I knew…I knew that it had been real. I’ll help you guy’s talk to mom and Shawn but then I have to try and find Glenn”.

“I understand sweetheart. I guess if you thought it was heaven then you passed. Was it him, was it the Governor?”

“No daddy. We made it away from him and lasted a lot longer. But daddy…we lost a lot of people”, with a quick look at Beth before she continues. “And then I…I lost Glenn and then we all lost Rick and…daddy it was bad, but we need to try and reconnect we need to be ready”. Maggie has steel in her eyes as she looks at her father.

Hershel takes a deep breath, eyes stinging at hearing about the loss of his son-in law and the young man he eventually come to see as another son. These weren’t his little girls anymore. He didn’t know what they had to go through and how they died but obviously it had been just as bad if not worse than what the group had gone through with the governor. He looks to Beth and she looks down quickly as though ashamed.

“Beth honey, what happened?”

“I tried to do the right thing, I tried to stand up for someone like you taught me and I wound up paying the price for it”.

Hershel sucks in a deep breath at hearing that but before anything else can be said the door behind him opens and Shawn is standing there.

“I heard what ya’ll were talking about. So, it was real…what I remembered, what I saw…it wasn’t just a dream?” Shawn whispers unsteadily with tears in his eyes and a tremble in his voice.

“We’re gonna go down-stairs and eat breakfast and talk with your mother, ok son? I know you have questions and I promise we’ll try and answer them as best as we can, but we need to include your mother”.

“Ok dad, I trust you”.

The foursome make a sad little parade as they go downstairs and into the kitchen. They all stop and look at Annette as she’s busily humming and cooking breakfast. There’s a small little laugh when she notices them all looking at her and she smiles and tells them to sit at the table.

Once the food is gone Annette stands to pick up the plates but is stopped by Hershel’s hand on her wrist. She smiles softly at him and asks, “everything ok hon?”

“Annette dear we all need to have a family talk, and it can’t wait. We need to do it now”.

With a perplexed look Annette says “ok” and takes a seat back at the table

“What we have to say might sound crazy, and I’m not sure why only we remembered, but we need you to listen to everything we say before you say anything. Now there’s a sickness that is coming and it’s going to hit swift and hard. We’re going to lose friends and we need to be prepared to put them to rest peacefully”.

Before he can even draw a breath to continue Annette looks at him like he is a little crazy and goes to open her mouth.

“Mom, honestly please just listen, it’s really important. Ok?” Maggie says while looking at Annette with tears in her eyes.

Annette’s concerned but knowing that her family really needs to say whatever it is that has been making them all act so strange this morning just answers with a simple “ok, I promise”.

“This sickness will come, and it is like a thief in the night. It spreads fast and it changes people. It kills them and then forces them to come back craving human flesh. Unfortunately, they are not the only things that we have to fear. It changes people, some for the better but still more that are left unchecked by the rules of society and propriety. These people will kill for food, weapons, land and for power. Maggie, Beth, and I were able to travel with a group for awhile and we were led by a good man. We became a family and then we were attacked by a man that was power hungry and able to hide it from the people he was leading up until the end. He killed me in field outside the prison that we had made our home and I’m, not sure what happened to the girls’ after that”.

“The prison fell, and we were all scattered. I was separated from the man that had become my husband and from Beth. I searched for him with some of the people that had become our family and was finally reunited with him and a group of people that helped him to find me. We then went looking for Beth and instead were reunited with some of our family and were held by a group that promised sanctuary but were instead cannibals. We finally made it out, but they followed us to a church and grabbed one of our wounded and ate his leg before they attacked”.

“Oh, God”, gasps Annette. “What…?”

“I’m not done yet mom. We had to kill them to survive. I’ll be honest I had to kill a lot of people to keep my family safe. Eventually one of our group found out where Beth was and went to save her, but she tried to stick up for someone else and was shot for her trouble. After that we just kept walking, looking for a home and we found one. I was pregnant and then…” Maggie starts to choke but forces the tears down. “Then Glenn and another of our group was killed in front of us as a warning. We went to war and then I left and when I came back after even more of the people were killed there was an attack and that’s the last thing I remember”.

Annette sits for a moment her hand covering her mouth in shock, eyes wide with unshed tears. Finally, softly she whispers, “and me and Shawn?”

“We lost you at the beginning. Old man Crowley came up the road back when I was deluding myself that the people were just sick, and he got you and then Shawn went to help you both and he was gone too. I was stupid last time. I placed these things in the barn and fed them and when you passed, we put you both in there as well. The man Rick, who became our leader, he tried to tell me I was wrong, but it took having to watch you almost get Beth to understand you weren’t yourself anymore. We won’t be doing that this time. We need to start preparing now and hope that the rest of the family remembers, or at least enough of them remember to steer the others to come here”.

Before anything else can be said there’s a knock at the front door. A subdued Beth says she’ll get and excuses herself from the table. Suddenly there’s a happy laugh and Beth yelling “daddy”. Hershel quickly gets up from the table and makes his way to the front door, his family rapidly following him. There in the doorway stands Sasha, Tyreese, and Bob.

“Hey old man we got a guy here needs some help to get sober. Figured if anybody remembers it would be you. We tried the VA but then decided we had someone better that had already lived through it and this way we would already be with some of our family” says Sasha with a little half-smile on her face and tears shimmering in her eyes.

“Of course, come in”. replies Hershel. Turning to Annette he says, “looks like you all get to meet some of the family sooner than expected” with a large smile on his face.


	6. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Watch as some of the family start gathering the supplies they need and then meeting some of the rest of the family to get ready for the next steps to get towards what they all want. A safe home for them all.

_Jacksonville, Florida - 9 months pre-apocalypse_

After making the decision that they were going to look for Bob before meeting up with the family, the Williams siblings decided they needed to make a detailed plan on what they needed to accomplish and the time frame in which they needed to accomplish it. Well let’s be honest, Sasha decided. They sat at the table and went over what they needed to do, what they hoped to do, and what would be nice if they could carry out.

“The first thing we need to do is liquidate as many assets as possible so we can get the supplies that we’re going to need. Whether we meet up with any of the family before or not we need to make sure that we have weapons, food, and ways to purify water. We know that if any of the others remember they’ll work on getting supplies too but we have to make sure that we have enough to at least get us to the prison” Sasha says sternly as she scribbles in the notebook in front of her.

She looks up to see Tyreese with a smile on his face and propping his head up with one hand.

“What?” she asks with a small smile of her own.

“Nothing, just what I said was true. You’re definitely the one in charge”.

“Alright that’s enough. So, we need to get the funds moving out of our retirement and 401k accounts. The first thing we need to do is look into selling the vehicles and getting something like a jeep or truck that will help with terrain as well as a trailer to haul all our supplies. After that we need to start with weapons. Now we can buy too many firearms at once without arousing suspicion, but we can make sure that we get plenty of ammunition and silencers. The other thing we can do is hit up the sporting goods stores and load up on the usual camping gear like knives, twine, dishes and cutlery, flashlights, and waterproof backpacks. After we get that stuff, we’ll need to go to one of those club stores and load up on dry goods and hygiene products. While we’re working on gathering everything, we’ll start putting out feelers on Bob so when everything is packed, we can go get him and start getting him clean”. Sasha looks to Tyreese when she is done to see what his thoughts are.

“Okay, it sounds like we have a plan. Let’s do this”.

_Peachtree, Georgia- 6 months 2 weeks pre-apocalypse_

They were able to get their assets liquidated and their cars sold in just two weeks. As soon as they had the money available, they started by buying a jeep and getting an old u haul trailer to pack their supplies in. They made a big dent in their search for supplies in the next three weeks making sure that they got as many melee weapons as they could as well as a few rifles from a hunting store not far from them. They were even able to get a few industrial LifeStraw purifiers that guaranteed 26,000 gallons a piece and enough water for 100 people for between three to five years from a closeout sale at a nearby camping supply store. In addition to the industrial purifiers they got about 100 Sawyer MINI water filter straws that were good up to 100,000 gallons each and could be used to drink straight from a water source. After getting what they deemed the big ticket items the siblings still had quite a few thousand dollars, and while they knew that they needed to have money for lodging and gas they decided that they made sure that they went to a large club store and got as much food and toilet paper as they could. They tried to restrict a lot of the food the bought to things in pouches or bags that they could cook the food in. They got cases of tuna pouches, rice pouches, granola bars, Clif bars, trail mix pouches and individual oatmeal. Lastly Sasha put a few cases of squeezable applesauce pouches on the pushcart with a bittersweet smile.

It took them another two weeks before they were able to find a lead on where Bob was and another week to get traveling to where he was. Turns out he was staying at a half-way house for veterans. When the siblings arrived, they were stunned at the sight of the man they had come to know. His eyes were sunken in his head and he seemed to weigh even less than he had when he joined the group at the prison. When they talked to the man in charge of the house, he told them that he had been having a tough time since he showed up to them a few months before. He seemed to have a tough time realizing that he wasn’t in the combat zone anymore and just kept mumbling about all the dead around him and the people he had lost. When the siblings finally got to where Bob was sitting in the front room, they were unsure on how to approach him. Finally, Sasha decided that she should be the one to approach him first.

“Bob? Can you hear me Bob? It’s me Sasha…”

“I knew a Sasha once. She was the love of my life. Some animals took me from her. I wonder what happened to her?”

“Bob it’s me Sasha I understand it must be hard having come back and not having anyone with you but we’re here now Bob. I have Tyreese with me and we’re going to find the rest of the family. We won’t let what happened to us last time happen again”.

Slowly Bob raised glassy eyes towards her voice and with a whimper bursts into tears.

It took another week for the siblings to get Bob to understand he wasn’t having a mental breakdown and that they were real and here to get him towards their family. After another 2 weeks of trying to get as much help as they could from the VA the two siblings sat to talk with Bob about what he wanted to do.

“I think we should find Hershel. I remember Maggie saying once that he was an alcoholic before but gave it up when she was born. I remember that they had a farm in Senoia that had been in the family for years. I think getting you back to some of the family will be good for you mentally and physically” Sasha said.

“I think that’s a great idea. Even if they don’t remember Hershel is a good Christian man and won’t turn away any person in need. It will help us to connect with them even if they don’t remember and hopefully get us towards the rest of the family when this thing starts. We only have another seven months before this hits and even then, we don’t know for sure that it’s going to happen on the same timeline as last time”.

After a few more hours of ironing out the details it was decided by the trio that they would start to get Bob ready for travel and be on the road within the week. They knew that they were going to a safe place but decided to get a storage locker outside of the Greene farm area to stow the trailer until they could see whether the family remembered. They wanted to make sure that they were set up on the farm before they brought the supplies in so that those that don’t remember wouldn’t think they were crazy. With an action plan in place they at went to sleep ready to start their preparations tomorrow to head to the first on the list of places they were going to be reunited with the family.

_Senoia, Georgia- 6 months pre-apocalypse_

After a week and a half of gathering Bob’s things, closing out his bank accounts and making sure that he was eating regularly the trio decided it was time to set out for the farm. They stopped at a local bed and breakfast and got a couple of rooms. When the owner noticed the trailer at the back of their jeep Sasha stepped forward and told her that her, her fiancé, and her brother were looking to locate to a more slow-paced area. Sasha let the owner know that they were interested in storing their supplies and looking at some farms in the area.

“Well Hershel Greene will be the one to talk to about that. If anyone would know of some farm available for sale he would. He would also be a great resource to help you folks get started” the owner told Sasha.

“Would we be able to get his contact information, please”?

“Oh sure. I’ll even draw you a map out to the farm. That there is a working farm and it’s better to go there than to try and get someone on the phone. Hershel and his family are always happy to help others”.

With directions in hand the trio first makes their way to the storage facility the owner had suggested and signed up for a three-month lease. They weren’t sure that they would need it for the whole time. They decided to get one more night of rest before they made their way to the farm. They planned to arrive early and hopefully if anyone remembered they would be able to start making plans.

They next day as the sun was just starting to shine the trio got on their way to the farm. Following the long driveway Sasha was pleased to see the stress lines slowly disappearing the closer they got to the old farmhouse. Pulling up to the front Tyreese shuts the engine off and takes a deep breath.

“Are we ready for this”? he asks his companions.

“We’re ready. I’m sure there’s a reason we remember and that at least one of them will as well” came Sasha’s reply.

With that the three got out of the vehicle and made their way to the front door where Sasha took one last deep breath and knocked on the door. After a minute had passed Sasha lifted her arm to knock again and before her fist could connect with the door it was pulled open and there stood Beth. Seeing Beth again it was as though all the breath were knocked out of Sasha.

“Beth…” Sasha breathed out.

Before she could even try and correct herself in case Beth didn’t remember there was a light musical laugh and she was grabbed into an embrace.

“I’m so happy you remembered. We weren’t sure who, if anybody, would remember and were just trying to figure out how we were going to go about reconnecting with the family without anyone thinking we were crazy”.

“We’ll we’re here and all three of us remember. We have a lot to discuss and a lot left to do but Bob here needs some help that we think your daddy can help him with”.

“Well come on in. I know daddy and Maggie will be so happy to see you guys”.

“Daddy” Beth shouts waiting as she hears more than just her father coming to the door.

Sasha closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. They’re about to see some of their family for what feels like the first time in years. She will not let what happened to Hershel, Bob, Glenn, Maggie, or her brother happen again. They’ll be ready this time and find somewhere that they can make a safe haven for themselves and maybe for others. Opening her eyes, she is met with the sight of Hershel walking towards her on both his legs with a large smile on his face.

“Hey old man we got a guy here needs some help to get sober. Figured if anybody remembers it would be you. We tried the VA but then decided we had someone better that had already lived through it and this way we would already be with some of our family” says Sasha with a little half-smile on her face and tears shimmering in her eyes.

“Of course, come in”. replies Hershel. Turning to Annette he says, “looks like you all get to meet some of the family sooner than expected” with a large smile on his face.


	7. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A few surprise characters will be joining the journey towards the end of the world. Will they be a good fit for the rest of the family or will they have to decide to strike out on their own. Lets find out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry it took so long to post. Real life has kicked my butt these last couple of weeks. I have the next few chapters very roughly outlined and chopped together and will hopefully get them up within the next week. Thank you for all the support and all the comments and kuddos. I'm super new to this so unsure how to tag but know that I try and read and reply to every comment when I have a chance.

**_Baltimore, Maryland- 12 months pre-apocalypse_ **

When Frank Hansfield wakes in the sleeper cabin of his long-haul truck feeling as though he were choking on his own blood, he is terrified. After taking a few slow deep breaths, Frank opens his eyes and looks down at his hands expecting there to blood on them. Slowly, his heart starts beating more steadily and he’s able to take a moment to look back on the nightmare he had just woken up from. He remembers seeing the absolute coldness in his wife’s eyes as she held her hand over his mouth and then the almost blank stare when she turned to their daughter and put her finger over her mouth to remind their daughter to be quiet.

He thinks back to all the times that he came home from long trips and how Lydia seemed to try and be as quiet as possible when she was around her mother and always seemed to want to be as close to him as possible when he was home. At first, he had thought that it was because she missed him but now, he feels like an idiot for not noticing the signs of abuse. He’s not sure how, but he will find a way to get his daughter away from his wife before anything else happens. Because even though he doesn’t want to believe he knows that it wasn’t a nightmare he had woken up from but an actual memory of something that has yet to happen.

**_Baltimore, Maryland- 9 months pre-apocalypse_ **

Frank had been making plans for months on how he was going to get Lydia away from his wife. He knows that it isn’t going to be an easy task especially as he now realizes how cunning and crazy his wife really is. The first thing he does is look into getting some documents with false identities for Lydia and himself. In his travels across the country he has met some interesting people and one of those is Paul Rovia. Paul is an excellent hacker who finds it amusing how he can get into government databases and not have anyone be able to trace it back to himself.

After explaining to Paul that he was trying to get his daughter away from his abusive wife, Paul makes sure to let him know he was more than happy to help. Frank makes sure that he uses a name that can’t be traced back to him but will be something that his little girl will be able to remember. When he tells Paul about his worries about getting his daughter away from his wife, Paul tries to think of ways they can make it happen. Paul understands that it’s important to get Lydia away as soon as possible but wants to make sure that there will be no way for Frank’s wife to be able to find them. Finally, Paul approaches Frank with a plan to have him take Lydia on a trip during the winter break from school so that it will raise fewer red flags as it was something Frank had done in the past. With a plan in place Frank prays that Lydia can make it just a little longer, they are almost free.

**_Baltimore, Maryland- 7 months pre-apocalypse_ **

“Now you make sure you take care of my little girl. She best come back to me in the same shape she left me in” Deborah tells her husband Frank on the morning of their departure.

“I promise, she’ll be fine honey. You know I wouldn’t let anything happen to her” Frank replies with a calm façade.

He forces himself to give Deborah a kiss goodbye, he can’t afford for her to get suspicious. He knows that the paperwork that Paul has waiting for them is impeccable and that she won’t be able to find them, but he must make sure that he can get them to Paul safely. He goes into the house to get Lydia and notices that she seems to be even more attached to him than usual. He sees the fervent glances full of fear that she throws at her mother’s back and worries. Does his daughter remember what happened? Had she survived being alone with her mother or was she killed not long after he was no longer there to protect her.

“Come on Lydia, we have to get going if we’re going to make it to the first check-in on time. Deb we’ll make sure to give you a call tomorrow since we’ll get to the first place so late, ok?” Again, Frank tries to keep his voice as calm as possible.

“Okay honey. I love you both and hope you have a safe trip” replies Deborah with a smile as she stands to the side waiting for the two to climb into the truck so she can wave them off.

As soon as they are moving Frank looks over to Lydia and tries to figure out how he can ask her if she remembers without tipping his hand. Lydia is looking down at the bunny in her hands, worrying at the ears and she seems to be trembling in her seat.

“Hey bug, you excited about our daddy daughter trip? Can’t wait to show you all the new places daddy has gone this year”.

Lydia just nods her head and refuses to look up. Frank is unsure of how to get her to talk a little more. She is so withdrawn and seems more scared than he has ever seen her. They travel for a few hours in silence before there is a slight sniffle that comes from the seat next to him.

“Daddy?” she whispers. “Daddy I gotta tell you something and you might not believe me but it’s all true. We can’t go back to mama. She’s not right and she’s going to hurt you. She’s going to go crazy and she’s going to take you away from me and become a monster”.

Frank looks over to Lydia quickly in shock and decides that they need to go ahead and stop as soon as possible. At the next exit he goes to a truck stop that he’s stopped at a few times and turns to Lydia.

“Lydia honey, what’s making you say these things? Did you have a bad dream?”

“No daddy. I know it doesn’t sound possible but there’s something that happens soon, and it causes monsters to walk after they die. You, me, and mama get trapped in a basement with some other survivors and mama just snaps. She kills one of the survivors and when he comes back, she kills you in all the confusion. She brain washes me and forces us to wear masks made from the dead people and walk with them. She becomes like an animal. But worst of all she tells me stories about how you were the one who went crazy and she was protecting me from you. I know that I’m young now, but I made it to sixteen in the other time and a lot of harmful stuff happened because of her. Please, please believe me. We can’t go back to her”.

Frank gasps in shock, hearing that his daughter remembered even as tears come to his eyes hearing the horrors that his daughter had been put through. He knows he must reassure her as quickly as possible before she has a panic attack.

“Honey, I know. I know. It’s okay, I have a plan. I have a friend and he’s going to help us to get away from her. I don’t know what we’ll do about what’s coming but maybe if we can convince Paul and we’ll be able to stay with him. He has a lot of skills that could help us if the same thing happens again”.

“Daddy there were people that helped me. They got me away from her and became like family to me. Then she went even more crazy and attacked the communities and killed tons of people trying to get them to give me up. When they still wouldn’t give me to her, she destroyed all the communities. Those people died protecting me. I don’t know if all of them would want me back there but if we are getting away from her, we can’t go back there anyway. Some of those people I know would still want to help us”.

“Okay bug, after we get settled in wherever Paul gets us, we’ll see if he can help us find any of them. Do you remember names?”

“I know a few names but the two most important are Aaron Raleigh and Daryl Dixon. They both took great care of me and tried to help others that mama had brain washed”.

“Okay bug we’ll try to find them. I want to shake the hands of the men that tried to protect you when I couldn’t be there”.

With that, the two settled into a comfortable silence on their way to their new life hoping they can just make it before the world as they know it ends.

**_Munford, Tennessee- 5 ½ months pre-apocalypse_ **

Frank and Lydia were finally settling into the apartment that Paul had found for them. They were worried at first that Deborah would be able to find them but the alias’ that Paul had made were just too good. Frank and Lydia had decided that it would be better for them to settle into their new home before they approached Paul about finding the people that Lydia remembered. There hope was that at least one of the people would remember and they could then approach Paul with what might happen in the future.

Frank and Lydia sat down to dinner and discussed their plans again. They had already done some digging to try and find the men on their own but were having no luck so far. Aaron Raleigh didn’t seem to exist anywhere, and it seemed as though Daryl Dixon had fallen off the face of the earth about two months ago. Frank was worried that even with all his skills Paul wouldn’t be able to find the men and his daughter would get upset. When the phone rang showing Paul’s name Frank wasn’t sure if he was psychic or if there was going to be something to worry about.

“Hey Paul. How are you today?” Frank asked, hoping he didn’t sound as anxious as he felt.

“I’m doing ok, but I need to meet with you and Lydia and have a talk. Some things have come to my attention and I’m worried about what it could mean for me and you both”.

“What’s going on? Did Deborah some how get information on us”? Frank replied worriedly.

“Nothing like that but there has been some inquiries that I’m worried about. Do you think that I could come and see you today? I have a few questions to ask you and Lydia”?

“Sure, Lydia is taking a nap right now, but I can make some dinner and we can talk after. Maybe around 6?”

“Sounds good. I’ll see you then” replied Paul before hanging up.

“Daddy is everything ok?” came the sleepy voice of Lydia from behind Frank.

“It is honey. That was just Paul. He said he has some questions he wants to ask us and is going to come to dinner tonight. Is there anything special that you want?”

“Can we get pizza, daddy? I know we’ve had it quite a few times in the last few weeks but I know it will be long time if ever that we have it again”.

“Sure honey, as long as you don’t mind having a salad with it”.

“Ok daddy. I’m going to go and do some more reading on things we can do to get ready”.

“Alright sweetie. Just make sure that you wash up in the next hour or so. I’ll order the pizza for when Paul is going to come”.

Later that evening after they had eaten their fill, Frank, Paul, and Lydia sat around table in companionable silence before Frank took a deep breath and looked at Lydia and then towards Paul.

“So, what was it that you wanted to talk to us about? I’m guessing you haven’t had any progress on finding the two men I asked you about”.

“Well there has been an interesting development on one of the men but I’m not sure how it came about. You see I couldn’t find a young man by the name of Aaron Raleigh at first but suddenly about a week ago an alert came saying there was a man named Eric Raleigh that married an Aaron Adams. So, after using the drawing that my friend did according to Lydia’s description a positive match came connecting Aaron Adams with the man I was supposed to find”.

Before Paul could even take another breath, Lydia jumped up in excitement and ran to him wrapping her arms around his neck, chanting thank you over and over in his ear. Frank looked on the two fondly before noticing the wariness that was displayed in Paul’s face.

“What’s wrong? Did something happen to them?” Frank asked, hoping desperately the answer was no.

“They’re fine but it not even two days after I got the first alert another came in saying they were looking for me by not only my name but the nickname that only close friends call me. Problem is that I don’t know them and I’m not sure how they would know to look for me without someone informing them of my name. So, my question is how did they know to look for me when I’ve never met them before? It seems a little too coincidental. Is there something I need to know Frank?”

“Well…” Frank takes a deep breath and looks down for a moment, unsure of how to go ahead since honestly, he would just sound like a nut.

“You met Aaron in the future and fell in love. I never got to meet you or Eric, but he loved both of you a lot. My mom’s followers killed you before I met you and before you and Aaron could become boyfriends blurts Lydia quickly.

Paul whips his head around and looks at her with his head cocked to the side. His eyes seem to be searching her face to see whether she’s telling the truth or not. Slowly he looks back and forth between Lydia and Frank before he draws a deep breath.

“Ok, tell me what you mean”.

And so, Lydia tells him the story of how the world came to an end, about her mother and what she did to not only herself but to Frank. She goes into detail about how they lived and how they moved. She talks about the men that saved her and kept her away from her abuser. She tells him of how her mother started a war and kept fighting because they wouldn’t give Lydia up. She finishes by telling him of the horrible things that had been done to the communities in which they lived and how they were all decimated.

“So, see I have to find them because they saved me and if they remember you than they remember what happens and I want us to be together and make sure that what happened before doesn’t happen again” Lydia finally finishes lifting a tear stained face to look at Paul.

Paul isn’t sure why, but he believes her. He turns to Frank to gauge his reaction and sees the fear in his eyes that she won’t be believed. He takes a deep breath and looks back to Lydia.

“Well I guess that I’ll just have to let them find me then”.

**_Washington, D.C- 5 months pre-apocalypse_ **

It took them awhile but finally Aaron and Eric got a hit from someone that said their name was Paul Rovia and heard that they were looking for him. The person writing the emails seemed to come off as not knowing who they were which worries the two men. If he doesn’t remember will they be able to convince him to come with them even as a friend never mind as more? Eric, always being the braver of the two, takes the first step and replies that yes, they are looking for him and that they have some mutual friends. Paul writes back letting them know that he is out of state and unsure when he will be getting back but if they really want to meet, they can come to where he is. Eric immediately replies yes, obtaining the address and planning for them to meet in just two weeks. When Aaron asks why two weeks Eric lets him know that the young man was in Tennessee which was closer to where they needed to be for Rick and his group anyway. It was time for them to finish selling what they could and pack up.

When Aaron and Eric arrive at the air-nib that they are renting for the next few months they contact Paul immediately to see when they can meet. Paul tells them they can meet at a local diner that evening and that he will be bringing some friends with him. After hearing about friends being brought Aaron and Eric are cautious wondering if he does remember and has found some of the others. They head into town that evening not knowing what to expect but hoping for the best. When they walk in and see him sitting with a man and a little girl, they pause not knowing who these people could be. They are even more surprised when the little girl looks straight at Aaron and gives him a huge grin and a wave.

“Aaron, Eric over here” Paul calls out cheerfully to them.

The two men look at each other questioningly before walking towards the table. When they reach the table the other man with Paul stands also and holds out his hand.

“Hi guy’s my name’s Frank and this is my daughter Lydia”.

Upon hearing the little girls name Aaron freezes for a second before his head whips down only to be met with the little girl’s tear-filled eyes. Breath hitching, Aaron slowly opens his arms and Lydia bursts from her seat and into his arms. He holds the girl closely to his chest, closing his eyes and gently murmuring nonsense into her hair. Finally, after what seems like hours, Aaron gently pulls away from the little girl and gives her a tremulous smile before looking quickly to where her father stands watching them with a sad but steady gaze.

“I know you guys must have some questions, and we have the answers, but I don’t think this is the place we should talk about it just now. Let’s grab some food to go and then we can sit down and have a long discussion on what’s going on” Frank says before either Aaron or Eric can say anything.

Aaron and Eric look at each other, speaking silently for just a moment before Aaron stands fully and replies for them both.

“I think that’s a good idea. Seems as though there is a lot to talk about”.


	8. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Plans are made as the family are searching for others and starting to set plans in motion for where the family will start after the apocalypse starts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long to get this up. Real life kicked my butt. I have this and the next chapter already done and have already started on the following chapter. Hoping to update soon. Thank you for all the kind words and kudos. Hope you all are still enjoying the story still.

_Atlanta, Georgia- 6 months pre-apocalypse_

While it hadn’t been a well-received decision, a decision had been made that Team Atlanta, as they were calling themselves, was going to have to split up a little bit. It was decided that the whole group would travel to the Greene’s on a weekend to try and reconnect with the family and get Glenn, Merle and Sophia settled. While it wasn’t ideal, Glenn needed to make sure that Maggie was going to be okay with having the redneck back in their lives and that they would be able to work together to get to their new home. Carol didn’t want to be separated from her daughter but knew that she would be safer on the farm just in case Ed had suddenly gotten smart and was able to track them through all the false trails she had laid.

Carol was going to be staying in the city with Daryl in Glenn’s apartment and working at the doctor’s office where she had been promoted to the office manager, meaning she was in charge of ordering supplies. Her only concern was finding out that the party the doctor held wasn’t just to celebrate her first week working, but that he had sold his practice to a family that was going to take over the family medicine practice. Carol hasn’t found out the name of the new owners yet but was assured that she still had a job and that she would still have the job of office manager. She knows the new owners will be coming in the next week and has already started ordering as much extra as she can without rousing suspicion from the other workers.

Daryl it was decided, would start the search for T-Dog and hopefully be able to get him and possibly the people from the old folk’s home. While they were leery of adding too many to their ranks, they remembered what they had seen of the home after the disaster at the CDC and wanted to at least prevent them from dying for no reason The only thing that gave them pause about the guys at the old folks home was Glenn remembering most of the older people and the “vatos” hadn’t shown up until the world went to hell. They were unsure if Guillermo and Felipe would be willing to leave without helping the other people if they remembered. They also had the added complication of wondering if T-Dog would add some of his fellow churchgoers after Glenn remembered his job at the church was to pick up the elderly for sermons. Honestly, the group as a whole felt that if many of the older people remembered they would want a way out rather than to live through what was to come.

With a plan of action started the group settled down early Friday night so they could rise early and travel to the farm the next day. Sophia was excited since she hadn’t made it there last time and hearing her excitement brought tears to the others eyes and a silent look passed between all of them, vowing that she would not be lost this time no matter what. Waking up on Saturday morning was an easy feat as the majority of the group had taken to rising early to get as much done as they could in the short span they had left, even though it was six months the time seemed to be flying by too fast when they haven’t gathered as many people as they feel they should have at this point.

The whole group seemed to rise early, not being able to sleep with hoping that the trip to the farm won’t be for nothing. Daryl had been watching Glenn since the decision had been made to go to the farm and could almost see the energy crawling under his skin as he counted down the minutes. Daryl feels tears form in his eyes looking at Glenn and understanding what he was feeling, like now that they knew an arm or something wasn’t attached to their body. Daryl swallowed around the lump in his throat thinking about all the dead ends they’ve hit trying to get to damn Officer Friendly. While he knew Rick’s feelings weren’t the same as his, he didn’t know what he would do if the man didn’t remember him. Taking another deep breath and squeezing Glenn’s shoulder he whispers in his ear that Maggie knows that he’ll always finds her and that she would never forget the love of her life.

When they first reached the farm, Daryl was unsure if it was the driveway because of some of the changes he sees. There is some armor weave fencing bordering the farm as well as a sturdy gate guarding the drive, though it stands open right now. Glancing at the mailbox at the end of the driveway he sees the name Greene and motions for Merle to follow him. Carol and Glenn are just as amazed as Daryl at the changes they’re seeing and when they pass through the fence and see the rest of the changes in progress they are sure that at least some of the farm residents remember.

The loud sound of the Dixon brother’s motorcycles seems to of been enough to alert the residents within the home that they had visitors as a steady trickle of occupants moves out of the house while the bikes and vehicles are being parked and turned off. Daryl and Carol look to Glenn with smiles on their faces waiting for the reunion of their brother and his spitfire of a wife. Glenn almost erupts from the driver’s seat and starts to run towards the house. Hershel is on the porch with an arm wrapped around Beth and a huge smile on his face and tears sparkling in his eyes. As Glenn goes to leap up the stairs a blur seems to shoot out of the house and tackles him sending the pair tumbling down the steps and landing on the dirt path leading to the house. There is the high thin cry of “Glenn!!” before Maggie starts to sob uncontrollably with her face buried in his neck.

“Well ol’ man, looks like you sure made some changes ‘round here” Daryl drawls with a tiny smirk playing on his face.

“Well this is just the beginning. We have lots of plans and looks like we’ll have more help than we anticipated to get ready” Hershel says with a small smile. Then his face clouds over a little. “Has anyone had any luck finding Rick yet?”

“We tried getting ahold of him but seems like no matter who calls or when there ain’t never no answer at his house. Tried the station too and we ain’t gettin’ no response neither, other than he’s busy. I been thinking of going down there to drag his fool butt here but no way he’ll leave ‘em if he remembers and sure as hell no way he’ll follow me if he don’t” replies Daryl with a dark glower on his face.

“Well now that we have a home base maybe it will be a little easier. We got some other folks here that I’m sure will be happy to see you and help us get our wayward leader back” replies Hershel, hearing the footsteps coming towards the door.

Daryl and Carol whip their heads towards the screen door and watch as Bob, Sasha and Tyreese step out with grins on their faces. Carol sucks in a sharp breath at seeing Tyreese. Though they had ended on better terms there was still a rift between the two after not only Karen, but also Mika and Lizzie. Tyreese gazes at Carol with warmth and forgiveness in his eyes before his gaze is drawn down to the little girl standing next to her. He realizes this must be her little girl, the one who’s death started her downward descent. He smiles and makes the same subconscious decision as the others had made, that nothing would happen to this little girl this time. After the quick smile that he sends to the little girl he decides he needs to put Carol’s fears to rest and steps forward and pulls her into a tight hug. He isn’t surprised when she takes a shaky breath and then bursts into sobs. He’s not sure what happened to her after his death, but it doesn’t look like she had it any easier down the road. After a moment she takes a deep shuddering breath and then looks into his eyes.

“It’s ok. Really, I understand why you did it. I cared for her deeply but I’m not going to go looking too hard for her. If it’s meant to be we’ll find each other again, but I’m not going to lose any more of my family than I have to. Including you and your daughter” Tyreese says softly so only she can hear.

With a watery chuckle Carol finally pulls away and looks down to see her daughter looking at her with worry in her eyes. Carol knows that she will have to talk more with Tyreese later but right now there is just too much that they need to catch up on.

“Alright folks let’s move on into the kitchen where I’m sure lunch will be ready by now. We got a lot of catching up to do and a lot more planning it seems” calls Hershel to the rest of them.

After a wonderful but tense lunch where the newcomers are introduced to Annette and Shawn, it’s decided that they rest of the chores can be done by Shawn and the few hands on the farm while the rest of them sit and catch up. Maggie sits practically in Glenn’s lap and looks a little distrustfully at Merle. She remembers what happened the last time he was around and isn’t sure what to say. She knows after losing Beth that she can’t ask Daryl to just give up his brother but she’s also not sure that she’ll ever be able to trust him again. Merle seems to understand because he makes sure to keep a good distance between himself and Maggie but decides that there’s no need to beat around the bush.

“Now I knows that ya ain’t gonna trust me right away and I understand. I know that we ain’t never gonna be the best of friends but I need ya ta hear me out” Merle states looking at the table before taking a deep breath, exhaling and then looking at Maggie in the eye.

“I was stupid and selfish back then. I didn’t care ‘bout nobody but myself and finding my next high. After I thought I lost my brother for good and found the Gov’ thought I had finally found a place to put my skills to use. When I realized you knew where my brother was and wouldn’t tell me I was pissed. I know now that you lot were just afraid to lose him but to me you was sayin’ I wasn’ good enough. I ain’t ever gonna be the great man that my brother turned out to be, but I sure am gonna try ev’ry day and make sure he and you all don’t regret keeping me ‘round”.

Maggie turns to look at Glenn to see that he is looking at her with trust and hope in his eyes. It’s as though no time has passed for the two as they seem to have a complete conversation just looking into each other’s eyes. With a little sigh Maggie turns to look back at Merle with a calculating look in her eye.

“Alright, here’s the deal. I ain’t gonna trust you over night but obviously you’ve spent some time with Glenn, and he wants to try. But know that it ain’t just about what you did to me and Glenn, it was how you left your brother”.. Merle opens his mouth as though to retort and Maggie holds up her hand. “I ain’t done yet. I know you did it cause you love your brother and you thought it was the only way to save him but he’s part of my family and it hurt watching what your death did to him. We don’t have time though to be diggin’ at old wounds so I’m just gonna tell you now. Don’t hurt him like that again or I won’t be the only one you’ll have to answer to”.

“Well I guess that’s my cue to start filling you in on the changes already going on and the plans for more to come soon” Hershel said, gaining every one’s attention.

“So obviously you see that some of the family already made their way here and they were able to bring us a great amount of supplies when they came. Well, I decided I’m gonna take out a loan and get as much as I can out of the money. We’re hoping to be able to save more people this time but already some of my neighbors are making noises about leaving the area. I don’t know why some remember and some don’t, but I know that there are definitely a few I hope never remember. Now, we’re never gonna have enough room in the house so we already were able to get the couple RV’s that you see out front and have some ideas on how to get some more when it gets closer. I’m gonna make sure we get some outside cooking supplies and maybe even some outhouses to help keep the flow in the house to a minimum. We got some livestock trailers we bought down at auction and a mobile chicken coop that can be enclosed coming in the next month. We’re gonna keep some of the livestock but also butcher what we can to help us with the protein. Now that we got us two hunters we’ll be able to add some fresh game to the menu and hopefully get even more meat that we can make into jerky. I plan on getting a few dehydrators to help with it so that we’ll have a good haul to start before we start traveling. I figure we need to use as much money and credit as we can in the coming months to help get the supplies we need. I know that we’ll be able to get some things after, but it won’t hurt to have a supply to start”.

“Well I have a job at a clinic in the city ordering medical supplies and I plan on staying there as long as I can to hopefully help with a stockpile. Unfortunately, we just got new owners that I’m going to meet next week so I’m not sure how much more I’ll be able to get. I do have a nice stash already started though and have another order coming in just before the new owners that should help round out a lot of our urgent needs” Carol says to the table at large before taking a deep breath and looking to Merle and then Hershel. “I’m sure you figured out last time I had an abusive husband, but I left him this time and don’t plan on him finding us. I’m pretty set in the city but am hoping that Sophia can stay here, and I’ll come out on the weekends to check in with you all”.

“Me and Merle are gonna stay here and help you guys get started on whatever you need, while Daryl and Carol go back. Daryl’s gonna work on finding T-Dog as well as Rick and the vatos. This way hopefully there’s enough protection all around. If we don’t find Rick though or can’t get him we’re gonna have to make some big decisions coming up” ….

Before Glenn can even finish his sentence Daryl erupts from his chair and snarls at them, “ain’t leavin that man to the asshole done tried to kill him and the woman who done betrayed him. If I gotta drag his sorry ass here I will. Don’t care what anyone says, we ain’t leavin’ him”!

“Daryl calm down. I wasn’t suggesting that we were going to leave him, but we don’t know who does and doesn’t remember. We will get him with us, where he belongs, but even with his memories he’s a stubborn jackass and we need to take that into account” Glenn says, rolling his eyes at Daryl’s antics.

Daryl huffs before he grumbles and sits back down. He mumbles a sorry to Glenn but refuses to look anyone in the eyes after his little outburst. Merle slowly blinks at the display from his brother thinking he was the only one that could make his brother snap like that. When he sees the blush climbing up Daryl’s neck he starts to get some suspicions but decides to put a pin in it for now. Looking around the table he sees everyone still seems a little shocked at his outburst as well and decides it’s time to change the subject.

“Alright well. We already started making some lists, ‘bout things we need to get before it all goes to hell. I also got’s an idea on where’s we can go, ‘specially we got a large group we looking to travel with. I says we get some organizing done and then get some rest before doing it again tomorrow” Merle says while looking to the others for approval.

With a round of nods the group sits and starts the first of many discussions. Hershel takes a deep breath looking at the others gathered around his table and can’t help but to pray that they’re able to save as many of their family as possible. Looking at Daryl as he starts bickering with Beth over the among of moonshine they should take, which baffles him, he hopes more than anything that their leader will be able to be found and brought home soon so that the young man doesn’t wind up going crazy. Hopefully, this time they’ll figure out what everyone else already knew and finally admit their love for each other, although Hershel is sure that most of the family will have no troubles helping him to play matchmaker with the two men. Sighing quietly, he decides it’s something that’s a then problem, not a now problem and decides to tune back into the conversation realizing his short mind wanderings have gone unnoticed.

“All right guys. I think we should grab some dinner and then bunk down for the night and take it up in the morning. I want all of you to stay here tonight and we’ll come up with some more plans tomorrow before we start splitting up” Hershel told the group as he stood up. It was still early but they had a lot that they needed to do tomorrow, and they all needed the rest after the emotional reunion.


	9. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another couple of surprise characters come back and bring others to help the family expand. Questions are raised and new connections are started.

_Harrisburg, PA- 8 months pre-apocalypse_

When Enid opened her eyes and saw the pink wallpaper and the stuffed unicorn that she was holding she wasn’t sure what she should be feeling. It felt as though she was still in the other place, fighting against those monsters that dressed as the walkers, believing that they were the next evolution. She remembers the stench of fear and desperation but remembers that they all fought, they all were trying to help one another and then there was nothing. She knows that it wasn’t just a dream though she was back in pre-adolescent body, it was real and all the people that she had known and come to care for were real. Maybe she wasn’t the only one to come back and they would be able to survive this time. Maybe she could save Carl this time if she found Siddiq first, maybe she could save her parents as well.

_3 weeks later_

It had been harder than Enid thought to get her parents to believe her. It had taken three weeks and both her parents waking screaming her name as they ran into the room for them to believe her. She made sure that she didn’t question them too hard on what it was they remembered but collaborated enough that her parents would know that it was a memory they were sharing and not some nightmare that somehow had gripped all of them tight. She made sure to let them know about how long she had survived, about the family that she had been lucky enough to find and then she shared her death. She made sure that they knew that even though she was young she knew who they needed to contact and who would be able to help. She decided to bring up Siddiq to them first after telling them of the medical training that she had done with the young doctor. She was sure that he would try and save his parents as well but also that he would want to save Carl if he could as repayment for his previous sacrifice.

Having a somewhat plan of action was easier said than done though. She knew the hospital that Siddiq had originally been a resident at, but unfortunately when she tried to contact him she was told that he had left for a family emergency and they were unsure of when or if he would return. While she knew a lot of information about his family, such as his parent’s names and that they had a family practice they hoped for him to take over, thanks to many late-night conversations, she was unsure of the exact location they had been located before the end came. After hours and days of digging though, she was finally able to locate what seemed like the right family in Friendly, Maryland but was told that she had just missed the family. The father had decided that they were ready for a change and bought a practice down in Atlanta Georgie where they were all going to work. After hearing the news Enid was positive that at least Siddiq, if not his parents remembered, and he wanted to make amends for the sacrifice that Carl had made last time. Talking to the woman on the phone Enid was able to find out that family was taking a small vacation on the way down to the new clinic but would be taking ownership in about a month. Hearing this news Enid excitedly got off the phone and ran to her parents.

From the moment that Enid got off the phone and informed her parents of the goings on time seemed to speed up. With the knowledge that Enid had from working with Maggie at the Hilltop she was able to start making plans and organizing what they would have to do in order of importance to get to the rest of her family before it was too late. Enid spent hours before and after school making sure that she had as many avenues covered as she could. It was decided that since their lease was up in a month that they would take that as a sign and start moving then. Plans were made for what they would take with them and what they would try and sell. They decided on a POD storage unit so that they could have all the items moved down to Georgia and also have the storage taken care of for the next several months as they worked on the rest of their plans. With in a week of a final decision being made they had a huge garage sale where they sold the large furniture, fixtures, and most items that they deemed too much of a creature comfort. Enid knew that most everyone was going to wind up wearing others clothes so made sure to label the large containers they had bought for storing the clothes with the size and style of clothes inside to make it easier, she was sure that Maggie would have a better system but this way there was at least some organization. When all was said and done they had a ton of clothes, lots of personal hygiene products and even some entertainment type products. With one last look at her childhood home Enid climbed into the backseat of the truck her father had bought and looked ahead to seeing her family again.

_Atlanta, Georgia- 6 months pre-apocalypse_

Honestly, Carol was unsure of how she should feel. She was happy that they had reconnected with some of their family and even happier that they remembered but she also had a lot of worries. Worries on whether Ed was still out looking for her and Sophia, worries that Sophia would be safe without her there, worries about why they couldn’t seem to connect with their stray leader, and the most concerning for her, at least today, whether the new owners were going to let her continue what she needed to do for her family. After finishing her shower and getting ready in her scrubs, Carol walked into the kitchen to see Daryl already hunched over some papers at the kitchen table, a cup of coffee and an empty plate beside him.

Walking to the counter she poured herself a cup of coffee and walked over to top off his cup earning a quick smile and muttered thanks before he was lost to her again. She knew that all of the family was worried that the Grime’s family seemed to be unreachable, but honestly the pain that seemed to radiate off Daryl worried Carol more than anything else. She knows that the rift she caused is still not quite healed, but that Daryl will always be there for her and she hopes that she will be able to bring Rick back to him. While she had set her sights on him the last time, even without any encouragement, she knew that they were meant to be best friends and she would work her hardest to not lose sight of that this time.

“So, the new owners are coming in this morning. Gonna see if I can’t use some of my old acting skills and get them to really like me. Maybe start to get to know them and see if we should take them into the family”.

“Hmmm.. sounds good. Make sure you don’t go too crazy with those actin’ skills though. Don’t need no one fallin’ in love with you tha’s crazy”.

“Oh Pookie, don’t you worry. I think I’ve had my fill of trying to find my prince charming. I think it’s time we work on finding your better half this time” Carol said with a smirk.

“Oh, look at the time, gotta go. Don’t want to be late the first day with the new owners” Carol sing songs before Daryl can reply and books it out of the apartment as fast as she can with a grin on her face.

She keeps the smile on her face until she gets within a couple of blocks of the clinic before worry once more creases her brow. She had been as inconspicuous as she could be, digging for information on the new owners, but there just didn’t seem to be enough information available. She hoped that this was a good thing and not someone else who remembered but had nefarious thoughts about having a clinic at their disposal. She decided to stop at the coffee and donut shop just around the corner from the clinic and pick up some fresh donuts and coffee as a welcoming gift for the new owners. Coming around the corner she was surprised to find that the new owners had already opened the clinic and were busy letting in the morning delivery. Carol rushed forward, hoping that she would be able to get what she had ordered put in her hidey hole before the new owners realized.

“Hello folks. My name is Carol Pel…” Carol’s vocal chords seemed to seize, and the pastries and coffee started to fall when she saw the warm brown eyes that were staring back at her.

The quick reflexes of Siddiq Abbas are the only thing that save the Monday morning treat from total destruction.

“Carol, I’m so glad it’s you. I was worried that it was going to take us much longer to track any of you down. I remembered you all talking about Atlanta and Carl told me of a quarry you all stayed at in the beginning that was near to the city and hoped that I would be able to run into one of you before everything happened” Siddiq quickly said with a smile on his face.

Carol could barely swallow around the lump in her throat. She hated thinking of it this way, but he reminded her of the loss of Henry, Tara, Enid and so many more. She was happy to see him because she also remembered his death at the hands of the same mad man after being tortured for weeks. With a small sniffle she held up her arms to wrap around his neck and pull him into a tight hug. As she was hugging him she saw an older man and two older women start towards the front of the clinic with concern etched on their faces. As the trio walked through the doors, Siddiq slid his arm around Carol’s waist and turned them both towards the coming people and put a huge smile on his face.

“Carol, this is my mom Inaya, my dad Adeel, and my aunt Farah. Mom, dad, auntie it looks as though I was lucky enough to have one of my family members find me before I could find them. Best of all turns out that she’s the same Carol that is our office manager so if will be easier to get all the extra supplies like we talked about” Siddiq said with a smile on his face and happiness in his voice.

“Siddiq, some of the others are here already. We’ve already started gathering supplies and looking for the others. There’s a lot for us to catch up on and a lot left to still do. Do you folks have any plans for the rest of the day”? Carol asked softly, knowing it was best to get things going now and not wait for a later time.

“I think we can not open the clinic today, siting that we are trying to familiarize ourselves with the staff and the clinic. Is there somewhere in particular that you want to go?” Adeel asks.

“Well I need to go pick up my best friend and then there’s a farm not too far away where some of the others already are”.

Siddiq turns to Carol with a smile and happiness in his eyes.

“I’m glad to know Daryl was one of the people to remember. I can’t wait to see who else remembers and start planning for a better outcome this time” Siddiq says softly while obviously remembering the dark path that they had been led to last time.

“Well there’s no time like the present. Let’s get the order checked in and eat something before we get going. I have a feeling it’s going to be a long day” Carol replies back thinking of advantages they had just gained and hoping that it would be enough to get them through the coming obstacles they were sure to face.


	10. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More of the family show up to the farm and Merle and Daryl have a long overdue talk about Officer Friendly.

_Mumford, Tennessee- 4 ½ months pre-apocalypse_

While Paul was still a little skeptical of what the others were saying, he couldn’t deny that he felt a connection to both Aaron and Eric. While his connection with Aaron seemed to be instantaneous, he couldn’t deny the connection that he felt to the quite red headed man either. Eric was careful in his interactions with Paul but made sure that Paul understood that he and Aaron were a package deal, so it was both of them, or neither of them. Paul was worried that they were just looking for a little spice at first until he really started to spend time with both men whether separately, or together. Honestly, the team that they had become was amazing. While Aaron was busy working with Lydia and her father making up game plans on how to reach the rest of their “family” as they called them, Eric was content to stay with Paul and help him with research on where the people might be and how to contact them. There seemed to be so many spider webs like strands that needed to be pulled in order to start the connections without arousing suspicion. One evening after a grueling day of research and dead ends Paul announced to the room at large that he had found one of the men that they had been adamant he look for.

“So, I finally was able to find that man Daryl Dixon you wanted me to find. Seems he’s holed up in Atlanta with a large group with connections to an old folk’s home. Man seems to go out to a farm a couple of hours away every weekend and meets with a large group on the property there as well”.

The silence was deafening for a moment as everyone at the table seemed to hold their breath. Then it was as though they each exhaled at the same time and there was a cacophony of voices trying to speak over each other. Looking at each person seated at the table Paul realized that there was not just happiness but joy that he had found this man. While he had started to accept the idea that these people were part of a larger family like group, actually seeing the joy on everyone’s faces made something small ignite in his chest. Before he could flee like his body was telling him to Eric reached over and placed his hand on Paul’s forearm and gave him a smile.

“This is great news. Daryl was a great man that helped all of us and helped to keep Aaron safe when they went out looking for others. Daryl hanging out with large groups of people means he probably remembers as well, especially since he was a bit of an outsider after the group got to Alexandria. This is great news”.

Seeing the smile reflected in Eric’s eyes did funny things to Paul’s stomach and heart. He wanted to lean in and kiss the other man and just breath in his happiness. Startled by his thoughts Paul pushes back his chair and excuses himself before rushing out of the room.

That night while lying in the room next to the two men he hears the rumble of their voices as they get ready for bed. When he hears the quite moan that one of them makes, he imagines himself going into the room and the men inviting him into their arms. Punching his pillow, he rolls over and slams his eyes shut willing the sounds to stop. Blessedly there is silence and Paul falls into a deep sleep.

What starts as a pleasant dream of himself, Aaron and Eric sharing a picnic in a park turns into a damp fog shrouded night. He startles in the dream as whispering reaches his ears, seeming to come from every direction. He whips his head around looking for Eric and Aaron, but Eric is gone. Instead Aaron stands with what looks like an iron hand and he sees another man that he’s never met before looking around with wild eyes. Looking around again he sees a gate and runs to try and open it. He hears growling and looks to see what seems like shambling corpses of men and women. Suddenly there is a sword in his hand and he’s fighting these things that are growling and attacking him. Then a whispering starts, growing louder and louder until it reaches a crescendo then silence again. He turns and hears himself yelling at Aaron to go and then turning back to fight once again. He hears his named screamed and turns to start towards Aaron. There are two more of these things in front of him and then there is shock and pain. There is the whisper of “ _you are where you do not belong”_ and then he is awake gasping for air and Aarons name being ripped from his throat.

The door bursts open, and Aaron is the first through the doorway followed quickly by Eric. They crawl onto the bed and surround him with their bodies talking and petting him, telling him they are there. After what feels like hours he finally quiets down in their arms. After Eric brushes his hair back from his face he looks intently at Paul before drawing him slowly forwards and pressing a light kiss to his lips. Before Paul can delve deeper and try to drown himself in the taste of Eric there is a slight tug on his shoulder, and he is drawn towards Aaron who wastes no time in delving into his mouth. After another few seconds Paul makes himself pull away and take a deep breath.

“I started to believe you all about what you knew, especially after finding that Dixon guy, but I wasn’t 100% sure until now. That dream it was too real, too visceral of a feeling to not be a memory. I just… I can’t wrap my head around it quite yet”.

“What was the dream about? Maybe if you talk about it you’ll feel better” Eric murmurs in his ear.

Drawing a deep breath Paul starts to relax back into Erics arms while still looking down. He takes another breath and looks at Aaron through his lashes as he starts.

“We were on a picnic, the three of us. It was a beautiful day and we were laughing and talking when all of a sudden it changed. It was black as could be and fog was thick on the ground and I was alone. Then suddenly I wasn’t. I was with Aaron, but an older Aaron and we were carrying a man through a cemetery. At first I couldn’t hear anything, all I felt was fear. Then this growling came out of nowhere and when I looked again there were these…rotting corpses following us, trying to get to us. Then there was a sword in my hand, and I was fighting before these things started whispering, over and over. The whispering got louder and louder, so I pushed Aaron away and told him to get the other guy out of there. I heard him scream my name and I was walking towards him when…When suddenly all I felt was surprise and then pain, then this thing whispered in my ear and I woke up”.

Paul had been watching Aaron as he retold his dream and watched the emotions as they streamed across his face. Seeing the pain and grief on his face makes Paul finally believe that it was all true, the world was coming to an end soon and not all of them had survived. He pulled himself up straight and sniffed once before talking again.

“Well I guess it’s time we went to Georgia, huh?”

_Senoia, Georgia- 4 months pre-apocalypse_

It had been a grueling two months for the Atlanta group. While there had been some happy reunions there was still a growing fear that no one seemed to be able to get ahold of their leader. There had been no time yet for anyone to make the trip out to Kings County and the fear and uncertainness of the situation was driving Daryl up the wall. Daryl threw himself into doing the jobs needed of him, driving the fear and uncertainty to the back of his mind. After the arrival of Siddiq and his family Daryl was less worried about Carol’s role in town and decided to turn his concentration on finding T-Dog and the Vatos. Daryl was pleasantly surprised to find not only T-Dog but Jaqui waiting for him when he rolled up to the church that T-Dog worked for. T-Dog told Daryl of how he and Jaqui were trying to get the older members of the congregation to come with them but many didn’t believe what was going to happen and of those that did they told the two that they wanted to go out on their own terms and not have to live through what was coming.

T-Dog and Jaqui were surprised when they got to the farm and saw Merle and Glenn working side by side, teasing each other and horsing around. While they didn’t know what Merle had eventually done to Glenn and Maggie, they remembered the greasy redneck that was brash and racist, and it took a while for them to reconcile that he was a changed man. After a few weeks Daryl decided that it was time for Glenn, T-Dog, and himself to go and meet Guillermo.

When they arrived, they were surprised and pleased to see the young man remembered and was already making plans on how to get the people they could out. Some of the old folks seemed to remember and were adamant that they were going to go out on their own terms as Felipe and Guillermo decided that they would stay until they could help them to pass peacefully and get the others transported and Miguel would go to the farm and help them get things situated. At the farm Guillermo and the others were surprised but pleased to see the work that was being put into setting up a system for after. They were told in no uncertain terms that the farm was not an indefinite stop but a place for their people to meet and have a starting point. They were surprised and comforted by the maps and lists that were spread throughout the walls of the living room showing how organized the group was and that they had plans well in hand. But most of all the fact that they had medical professionals on hand eased a lot of their concerns and helped them to better know what they needed to be on the lookout for before meeting back up at the farm.

No one mentioned the anger and despair that seemed to follow Daryl around like a dark cloud, knowing that he was remembering the last time that Rick was lost to them and worrying that he wouldn’t get to him in time this go around either. Most surprising of all seemed to be how Merle kept quiet and tried to reassure his brother that “officer friendly” would be joining the sooner rather than later and that Daryl needed to keep his head in the game. Daryl had lashed out with anger and fists at Merle when he told Daryl to concentrate on the now and not later and then been shocked when his brother told him that “officer friendly” better love him half as much as his little brother loved him or he was in for a serious beating. After getting over the shock of not only Merle’s words, but the lack of malice and disdain in them, Daryl decided he was right and needed to make a safe place for the Grime’s family to come to.

One day while Daryl was on the outskirts of the farm he saw a caravan coming towards the farm with unfamiliar vehicles and whistled to let the others know that someone was coming. By the time he got up to the front porch to stand with the others the vehicles had come to a stop and the doors were slowly opening. When the first person to step out was Aaron with a large grin on his face, Daryl’s face broke into a wide grin that got bigger when he saw the other two men that stepped out after him. Looking to the other truck in the yard he saw a young girl with dark hair that looked vaguely familiar and a dark-haired man that didn’t. When the little girl opened the door and ran at him he automatically opened his arms to catch her and that was when he realized this was Lydia and the man must be the father she had talked about.

Before they could even get the newcomers settled another convoy of vehicles came down the drive and stopped in the yard. Daryl is shocked to see Denise with a male version of herself in the seat next to her and Tara straining in between the two front seats grinning widely at the group gathered. Looking over they see a box van with a food distribution company name with an old man, a young woman, and a little girl. The next vehicle is a minivan and has a middle-aged black couple that are unfamiliar and looks to be holding a few people in the back. The final truck in the caravan is pulling a huge tractor trailer and has a couple in the front seat and a little girl sitting in the back row smiling giddily.

When all the vehicles have finally shut off the first door to open is the sliding door of the minivan and out steps Noah. Glenn gives a whoop of joy and dives to Noah catching him in a bone crushing hug. Next Tara steps out and runs towards the two giving fist bumps and still grinning madly. When the last truck finally has the back door open a small dark-haired girl jumps down and runs straight to Maggie who has tears in her eyes and gathers the young girl close. From up close Daryl finally recognizes this is Enid and breathes a sigh of relief but his worry ratchets up.

Looking around and seeing all the people who had come along later makes Daryl wonder why the man they are waiting for hasn’t come yet. Deciding that he needs to take a moment to himself he steps away and wanders into the woods to do some hunting and clear his mind. Merle follows Daryl and mercifully keeps quiet while Daryl tries to process the changes that keep coming. Finally, Daryl looks over when Merle clears his throat and waits for whatever jackassery is going to come out of his mouth.

“I know yer worried and thinkin’ ‘bout goin’ after him yerself, but we need you here now. That man is one stubborn jackass and won’t leave these here people to fend for ‘emselves. We need to get some more huntin’ done and start workin’ on drying and smoking them meats. We got a lot more than we expected to have right now and we need to make sure they get fed. Now you help us out here and we’ll make sure we got a plan ready to go get your man”.

“Pshh. A’int my man… Just know we need the man here and know that he needs us to help him get through. I know officer dick don’ care and know for damn sure that if he remembers he might just kill the man hisself so he can have queenie. I just, I gotta make sure he makes it through, you know”?

“I know little brother and we will, but for now let’s start doing what we can for these people”.

“Alrght, ain’t got much of a choice anyways” Daryl says looking down with a sigh before hefting his bow up tighter to his body and nodding to his brother. He’ll get that stubborn SOB no matter what or who he has to go through.


	11. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The location of their errant leader is finally revealed and sends the farm on a tailspin of preparations and a new leader emerges ready to help lighten the weight on Rick's shoulders.

_King’s County, Georgia-4 months pre-apocalypse_

When Carl saw his mom talking to Shane he knew that the nightmares he had been having weren’t just nightmares, he knew that they were memories of time that he hadn’t lived yet. Looking at his mother now with the realization that it wasn’t part of an overactive imagination makes anger turn in his stomach. Anger at his mother for acting as though she gave a shit about his father and making him kill her after Judy’s birth. Anger at Shane for wanting to take his dad’s place and forcing Carl to kill him to protect his father. Anger at his father for not remembering. But most of all anger at himself. Anger for the lashing out he had done towards his dad because he didn’t understand what was going on between his parents. Anger for treating his father as though he didn’t care about himself and Judy. Anger that he hadn’t paid attention and gotten himself killed.

When his mother finally reaches him, she kneels down and reaches her arms out to him. He has to clench his fists to suppress and hide his anger. He has to figure a way to help his dad and he knows just who he has to call on. With the realization that the things he had been seeing over the last few months were memories comes the realization that Daryl had not only loved the family but that he had been in love with his father for the majority of the time they had known the man. Looking back now he also sees that his father had been in love with Daryl but hadn’t realized it. Carl knows that he will always have Michonne as another mother figure but he’s going to do his damndest to make sure that his dad and Daryl are happy this time. Realizing that his mother had been talking to him and has paused for his reaction, Carl draws himself up straight and looks her in the eye.

“It’s ok mom, dad is strong and will survive. We need to be there for him and make sure that he comes home to us”.

His mother seems to be startled by his grown-up attitude and he realizes he will have to temper his actions and words when he is around her as to not arouse suspicion. Looking over his moms shoulder he sees Shane looking at him with a trembling mouth and tears in his eyes. He’s unsure if Shane is being sincere or not as he remembers how convincing he had been at the farm. Convincing everyone that Otis had sacrificed himself so that Carl could live. He knows he doesn’t know the whole story behind his parents and Shane but he knows that his parents hadn’t been happy for a long time before the apocalypse had started and after they were busy clinging to the known instead of worrying about the unknown.

“Ok honey. We’re going to the hospital now and then I’m going to drop you with Jonny’s mama so that I can stay with your daddy a little bit” Lori whispered to him while tucking his hair behind his ear.

“Let’s go then. Don’t want to keep him waiting” was Carl’s reply.

_Senoia, Georgia- 4 months pre-apocalypse_

When Carol’s car came ripping down the driveway in the middle of a Wednesday afternoon Merle knew that no good was going to come from what she was here to tell them. Standing up and wiping his grimy hands on his pants he turned to Glenn who also seemed to be frozen looking at the car approaching. Looking back at Merle he gave a quick nod of his head and stood up as well, the both of them quickly walking towards where the car had just stopped, and Carol was sitting at the wheel white as a sheet. Carol seemed to feel the men’s eyes on her face and looked at them and the devastation written all over her face caused the two men to stumble in their haste to get to her.

“I need to talk to Daryl” Carol managed to choke out, tears glittering in her eyes.

“Now why don’ you tell ol’ Merle whas goin’ on firs’” Merle mumbled, though he knew, and looking towards the Korean man standing next to him, Merle knew that he was aware of the news as well.

“No, he needs to know. He needs to hear it from me and then we have to find a way to keep him here for right now. Even if they all remembered there’s a reason they haven’t come here yet and Daryl can’t go off halfcocked” Carol replied, true remorse in her voice.

Just then the three of them hear the creak of the screen door and look to see Daryl standing in the doorway. They watch as shock, anger and then fear all pass quickly across his face. He knows, he knows Carol too well and he can tell by her face what she’s come to tell them. When the guttural, mournful yell of “no” rips from Daryl’s throat the three are thrown into action. While Carol and Merle run to Daryl, Glenn rushes up the stairs to get the others and meets them at the door. Maggie is the first person he sees, and he can’t stop the sob that tears from his throat as he throws himself at her, burying his face in her neck. When he looks up it’s to find the others crowding each other on the front porch looking between him and Daryl trying to figure out what happened. Then he sees the hard flint of Hershel’s eyes and knows that he understood what the commotion was about.

“What’s going on? What happened? Is Daryl okay?” the voices of their family full of concern and hesitance are overlapping and Glenn sees the exact moment it becomes to much for Daryl as he jerks out of Carol’s embrace and turns towards his bike. Everyone seems to freeze for a moment unsure of what to do before Merle strides forward grabbing his brother by the shoulder and roughly turning him towards himself. Glenn sees the muscles bunch and the fist being formed but before he can shout a warning Daryl has hit Merle full force in the jaw trying to get free but Merle must have been expecting it because he only gives a muffled grunt and tightens his hand around Daryl’s bicep.

“Ya feel better now? Huh? You think this is helpin’? You know damn well you ain’t goin’ ta get anywhere near that man right now. Not only will his family be there but his workmates too. Think Darlena. We’s gots to wait to go and see ‘im. We’ll get ‘im but not right now” Merle shout growls in Daryl’s face.

“Let go a me Merle!!! I tol’ you that sumbitch don’ care and we know that bitch wife o his don’ neither! I ain’ leaving him and Carl to that mess. No way in hell is that boy going anywhere but with me” Daryl shouts as he rips his arm away from Merle’s grasp intent on getting to the hospital right this minute.

Carol steps in front of him and gently places her hand on his arm. Glenn can’t tell what she whispers in is ear but can tell it’s finally getting through to Daryl that he needs to wait. He watches as Daryl’s face crumbles and he breaks, pulling Carol to him in a bone crushing embrace as sobs rip through his frame. Maggie puts her arm around his waist and watches the two with tears glistening in her own eyes. Hershel comes forward and clears his throat drawing everyone’s attention.

“Alright ya’ll, let’s give Daryl a moment while we start figuring out a plan on how we can get out leader back to us” Hershel says while looking around at everyone.

Stepping into the living room, it feels as though all the air has been sucked out of it. Glenn looks around morosely trying to filter all the information he remembers from his talks with the Grime’s men and figure out what they need to do in order to get the man and his family here. He looks around the room, sees the shock, and fear he is feeling reflected back at him and it causes his back to straighten. This was a setback, yes, but they were going to get Rick and Carl no matter what. Then thinking of the desolate look on Daryl’s face he amends his thought to include Lori as well, knowing that Daryl will never forgive them if he doesn’t get his “lil’ asskicker”. Hell, maybe they’ll even save Shane if he hasn’t gone off the deep end yet. With those thought in mind Glenn straightens his back and takes a step forward.

“Hershel, you’re a deacon and trusted member at your church and we’re going to use that to our advantage. I need you to get Annette and the girls to start whipping up some dishes, then you, me T-Dog and the girls will go to the hospital and show our support. We’ll let them know that we heard about what happened and want to help them however they need. We’ll try to at least get Carl out here, saying it’s better if he doesn’t have to around that all the time. Then we’ll use him as an excuse for us to rotate our people up to go and see Rick” Glenn announces in a strong clear voice.

He remembers the day in the field at the farm and Maggie telling him, Y _ou’re smart. You’re brave. You’re a leader. But you don’t know it”._ He remembers that it had taken a long time for him to show the others that he was a good leader as well and he knows that now is the time to step up and remind them that they are stronger together. They will find a way to get to Rick and bring him home where he belongs, he’s just not sure how or when yet.

_King’s County, Georgia- 4 months pre-apocalypse_

When Carl saw Hershel, Glenn, Maggie, Beth, T-Dog, and another woman that looked like an older Beth he couldn’t help but to let out a sigh of relief. When they started walking towards where Carl was standing outside his father’s room while the doctor talked to his mother Carl gave a big grin and started walking to meet them.

“Guy’s I’m so happy to see you but we don’t have a lot of time to catch up just yet. We have to think of a way that me and my dad know you so that I can come out and talk to you guys. We have to come up with a plan to get dad out of here” Carl whispered excitedly.

The words coming from the young man made them all pause in their steps and really look at the young man. Glenn could see the same gleam of determination lighting his eyes as that of his father and gave a small little hum with a smile on his face. The trick now was to get him to the farm so that maybe Daryl would calm down at least a little. Thinking hard Glenn snapped his fingers when an idea came to him.

“T-Dog you remember Rick saying how he used to volunteer in Atlanta sometimes, helping young boys and girls to stay out of trouble? Well what if we say that he helped you out with some of the kids that attended your church and that you all used to go to Hershel’s farm to help them do chores to build character?”

“Yeah that might work. We can always say that our pastor knew Hershel and asked for some assistance with the youth group” T-Dog replied after a thoughtful second.

“Me and dad used to take some trips together on the weekends he was off, when him and mom had been arguing too much. We can tell them that I used to go out to the farm too and that’s how we know each other. Please don’t make me stay here. I know not everything was their fault, but I can’t be around them right now with the knowledge being so fresh about what was going on between them. Please?” Carl practically begged with tears starting to gleam in his eyes.

“It’s alright son, we have you. Best you all let me do the talking then to get them to let us take this young man back to the farm. I know there’s a lot of people that will be excited to see you” Hershel said with a gentle smile and a pat on Carl’s back.

Suddenly the door just down the hall opened quickly, and Lori came rushing out frantically calling Carl’s name with tears drying on her cheeks. She stopped suddenly at seeing the rather large group of people gathered around her son and then she hurried to grab him.

“Can I help you folks” Lori asked sharply, pulling Carl even tighter to her side.

“Hi Mrs. Grimes, my name is Hershel Greene, and this here is my wife Annette and our daughters Maggie and Beth. This young man is Glenn, Maggie’s fiancé and that young man is Theodore Douglas, better known as T-Dog. We’re friends of your husband Rick and came as soon as we heard the news. Rick used to come out to the farm and help with a youth program me and Theodore run, sometimes he’d bring this fine young man out to help as well. We wanted to come out and show our support for you and your family in this time of need and let you know he has a whole mess of people behind him praying for a speedy recovery”.

“Well I do appreciate you and yours coming out to see us. I don’t remember Rick talking about the farm but then again he wasn’t always the best at communicating things” Lori replies bitterly.

Glenn sucks in a deep breath wondering if he is the only one that notices her use of Rick in the past tense, looking around he see’s the anger simmering in Maggie’s and Beth’s eyes and the shock in Anette’s at the venom that seems to come from Lori’s mouth. Looking down at Carl he sees that the boy is ready to retort and knows he needs to head him off before he says something he’ll regret.

“Mrs. Grimes, Maggie and I would be happy to take Carl out to the farm to get him away from here for a bit, let you get some rest before tomorrow. They’re both going to need you in the coming days I’m sure so you don’t want to be too exhausted” Glenn says smoothly with a shy smile on his face, hoping that Lori will agree to the plan.

Before anything else can be said the door is ripped open again and there stands Shane Walsh. Looking to the group that are near the family of his best friend a scowl appears on his face. Seeing the look on the mans face Glenn is glad they were able to convince Daryl to stay out on the farm and let them come to the hospital first. Glenn knows that if the hunter had been with them that Shane probably would be missing some teeth and the redneck hunter would probably be spending at least a night in the King County Jail. Stepping forward Hershel holds out his hand to greet the man and cut off any negative things that might happen.

“Hello, you must be Shane Walsh. Rick told us a lot about his partner back home when he was out helping us on the farm. My name is Hershel Greene, and this is my wife Anette, our daughters Maggie and Beth, Maggie’s fiancé Glenn and our friend Theodore Douglas. We were just telling Mrs. Grimes here that we wanted to let her know that there were a whole lotta people thinking about him and his family and wanted to come and help anyway that we could”.

After hearing that these people had known Rick, Shane’s tension seemed to relax a bit.

“Well any friend of Rick’s is a friend o’ mine. We just got done talking to the doctors after his surgery and I was going to take these two home so they’s could get some rest. I’m sure he must have told me about his do gooder trips but honestly I can’t think about that right now” Shane replies with a small smirk on his face.

“Well I was just getting ready to tell Mr. Greene I would love to take him up on his offer of Carl staying at the farm for a bit. I don’t think that he’ll want to deal with his classmates curiosity right now and I need to try and get some rest before we talk to the doctors about the game plan tomorrow” Lori says with a wan smile in the direction of Hershel and his wife.

Shane glanced at Lori sharply and then must have seen the exhaustion that everyone else had noticed and relaxed a bit.

“Yeah all right. I’ll just get the address to the farm and then take you home. We can run out and see Carl tomorrow after we talk to the doctors” Shane replied with a bit of tension in his voice.

Glenn could tell that Shane wasn’t happy to see the young man leave but he was definitely more worried about Lori than he was about Carl. When he notices that he wonders if Shane and Lori had started their affair even earlier than everyone already thought they had or if he was just hung up on his best friends’ wife and took the opportunity when it presented itself. Noticing the others shaking hands and getting ready to leave, Glenn shakes his head and resolves to think on those issues later, right now they have another member of their family to bring home and someone that the hunter needs to see to know that Rick is okay.

“Alright guess we’ll see you folks tomorrow then. Just so you know we got a lot of work going on at the farm right now and so if you get there early tomorrow you should be in time for the big breakfast spread the women put on for everybody” Hershel tells the two young people, laying the groundwork for why there are so many people on the farm.

With those parting words the group makes their way to the parking lot to head home to the farm. While they hadn’t been able to see Rick for themselves yet, Hershel hopes that bringing the young Grimes boy to the farm will help to keep the redneck hunter under control for one more night.


	12. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daryl and Carl have a long heart to heart and Carl sheds some light on some things Daryl has been wondering about. WARNING straight sex and some things are said and thought that will forever change the coming future.

_Senoia, Georgia- 4 months pre-apocalypse_

Daryl watched as the old farm truck and Carol’s station wagon make their way up the driveway towards the house. He nibbled on the cuticle of his right hand ignoring the blood that pooled on his thumb from the broken skin. He knew he should have tried harder to find Rick, but he admits to himself he was scared after he figured out that he was in love with the man and not just loved him like a brother. He had thrown himself into getting the farmstead ready for the family so that he could make himself tired enough not to think about the man that was never gonna be his. At first he had thought that the man must not remember since he hadn’t come calling on any of the family but then he had thought to himself that maybe the man did remember and just decided that he didn’t want to be put through the same circumstances as before. Finally, Daryl realized that for some reason Rick hadn’t come back like the rest of them and was worried that they wouldn’t be able to get the Grimes’ to come to the farm.

When he had seen the look on Carol’s, Merle’s and Glenn’s faces he had known. He had known that the man he loved had still been shot and that right this minute he was lying in a hospital bed waiting for death. He wasn’t sure when exactly the affair between Queenie and Officer Asshole had started but he knew that the man would take advantage of the situation that had presented itself. He had been heartbroken not just for himself but for Carl. He knows there had been some tension between the teen and his father before he died and that the poor boy had been forced to grow up quicker than any of them liked. Daryl also knew that Carl was sorry at the end that his relationship with his dad was strained and had wanted for it to be better. He hopes that the group that went to the hospital has had the ability to at least get Carl out to the farm so that he can have the protection of the family, even if he doesn’t remember.

The sound of car doors slamming draws Daryl’s attention towards the driveway where the group is just getting out of the vehicles. He knows that the rest of the family are waiting for him to make the first move before they come out as well. When he sees Carl looking around as though searching for someone he lets out a huff of breath before he pushes himself away from the window and towards the front door. As soon as he opens the screen door he sees Carl’s eyes laser onto where the hunter is standing, and a huge grin splits his face as he yells “Daryl” and comes flying up the stairs and into his arms. Startled, the hunter looks towards the group slowly making their way towards the farmhouse and see’s the smile on Carol’s face even though there are tears sparkling in her eyes. Seeing her he knows that Rick is ok, at least for now, and so he decides to concentrate on the young boy in his arms. Pulling away the young boy looks up into his face and just says, “he’ll be ok. I know he will”.

“Let’s get this young man into the house so we can get cleaned up and eat dinner. We picked up some sandwich platters and sides on our way back so that we could get right into strategizing” Hershel says with a small smile on his face and a clap to Daryl’s back.

The group heads inside but Carl takes ahold of Daryl’s forearm and pulls him aside. Daryl looks at the kid and sees the look of contrition and fear on his face, scuffing the toe of his shoe on the porch and refusing to look into Daryl’s eyes.

“Ain’t yer fault ya know? Yer old man, ‘es a stubborn ass that won’ let anything deter him from getting back to you and yer ma, alright”? Daryl says gruffly, holding the young kid by the scruff of his neck and shaking him a little to make sure he has his attention.

“It is though. I thought I was just having nightmares at first. Didn’t want to believe any of it was real”, the boy pauses unconsciously rubbing his right eye where he had been shot.

“I thought that it just couldn’t be real, so I didn’t say nothing. Just pretended that it was all the games and shit I was playing and ignored it. But then…Then I was saw mom and I saw Shane at the school, and I knew, knew that it had been real all along and my dad getting shot was my fault” … He started sobbing, not able to finish his sentence.

Daryl cuffed the boy gently on the back of the head at the use of the language but then tenderly rubbed the same spot letting the boy know he wasn’t in too much trouble.

“Now don’ let anyone else hear that kinda language comin’ out yer mouth or yer liable to get some soap in there before any food. Yer old man gettin’ shot ain’t yer fault. You know that man is too stubborn to do anything but what he feels is right and even if he were to remember he wouldn’t put anyone else in that dangerous situation. Now I don’t know why he din’t remember but I knows he’s gonna be alright. We’ll make sure that he comes home to alla us and that you don’ gotta worry bout nothin’. Ya hear me”? Daryl says gruffly while looking fondly at the young boy’s face.

“I know Daryl. When I saw Hershel, Carol and all of them I knew that it was going to be ok. I knew I wasn’t the only one that remembered and that we would get my dad back before he gets lost trying to find us again. But Daryl, there’s something you should know..”

Carl pauses looking more upset about whatever he has to tell Daryl than about anything that had happened so far. Daryl looks at the boy and wishes that he could help him some way. Gently, he places his hand on the boy’s shoulder and feels the tension there.

“My mom and Shane…They’re already together. I mean I figured it out last time. Too late, after me and dad’s relationship was already ruined but I was still angry and since they weren’t there to be angry at I took it out on dad. I mean I thought they were just together after everything, but about a month ago I decided to skip school. I had had a terrible nightmare the night before of walkers breaking into Alexandria and I just couldn’t deal with other people. I got home and saw the cruiser in the driveway parked next to mom’s car and thought that maybe mom and dad were trying to make up for the fight they had the night before. I was quite coming into the house and heard the sounds and started grinning, thinking maybe this time would be different but then I heard…. I heard her moan Shane’s name and I knew. I knew those assholes had been going behind dads back and they had just used the excuse of dad being gone to be outright in their affair last time. I wanted to scream, I wanted to go in there and rip Shane off her but then his phone rang and I heard them stop, heard him answer the phone and laugh, saying he was just helping out a widow with something on his lunch before he hung up. I ran as quietly as I could to my room and waited for them to leave before I came out again. I wanted to tell my dad, but I never found the time and now I can’t but Daryl we gotta make sure that what ever else dad doesn’t try like he did last time”.

Daryl sucked in a deep breath after hearing what Carl said. Well he guesses at least one of his questions was answered. Officer Dick and Queenie deserved each other then if they could do that to a great man like Rick. He worried his lower lip between his teeth, wondering exactly what he should say to the boy. Taking a deep breath, he gently squeezes the boy’s shoulder like he used to with Rick. A thousand thoughts ran through his head at the same time, trying to find the best way to comfort the kid.

“We all know I was never a fan of Shane’s an’ he weren’t no fan o’ mine, but we ain’ tellin’ yer daddy ‘bout them until we know he’s stable. He don’ need to be thinkin’ ‘bout that when he needs ta get better. I know it hurts and ya wanna help but keepin’ it secret fer right now’s the best way to help. We’ll make sure ya get to spend as much time here as ya can and we’ll come up with a way to get yer daddy out here too. I promise kid, ain’t nothin’ or no one keepin’ yer daddy away froms ya”.

“I knew that I could tell you and you’d know what to do. You’re the best friend my dad ever had and once he realizes that it’s ok not to try with mom maybe he’ll see what’s right in front of him” Carl replies with a small smirk.

Before Daryl can even think of a reply Hershel comes out front and beckons them to dinner and Daryl is left to wonder if everyone knew about his love for their fearless leader or not.

_Meanwhile…_

_King’s County, Georgia- same day_

“Ungh…Ungh… Lori” Shane moans as he heaves on top of her and her nails rake themselves down his back. This is what he needed after the day he had just had. He loved Rick like a brother, but the man didn’t know what he had with the woman that was moaning underneath him. He didn’t realize what a wildcat she could be and how much attention she needed. He was sorry that Rick was shot, but man the opportunity that was presenting itself was too great for Shane to pass up. Pulling himself back to the present he feels Lori’s nails dig into his shoulder blades and the bite of pain is just enough to send him over as he crushes his mouth to hers, stifling her moans with his tongue down her throat.

He sighs as he rolls off her, letting his hand fall to the side as he closes his eyes and throws his other arm over his face and tries to get his breathing under control. He remembers back to six months ago when he came over to fix a stubborn leak in the master bath that Rick didn’t have time for. He remembers listening to her bitch and moan about how Rick never was there to do what needed to be done and she was sick of him not talking to her. At first he had just grunted, letting her voice drone in the background but then his ears perked up when she went on to say that they hadn’t even been intimate in months and she thought he was cheating on her. Now Shane knew that was a lie, saw the schedule himself and knew that Rick put in tons of overtime. He also knew that Lori saw the paychecks and knew he wasn’t lying but she was hinting at something. Shane finally looked up and saw that she was wearing an old pair of cut off shorts and a spaghetti top with no bra, nipples peaking out just begging for a mouth on them.

Shane felt a smirk come over his face as he stood up and stalked towards her, watching as her eyes darkened and she bit her lip, looking at him from under her lashes. He reached out and grabbed her tit, feeling the hitch in her breath and seeing the desire spark in her eyes. Next thing he knew they were on the bed and she was laid out under him, knees spread wide and back arched pulling his head harder and harder into the heart of her sex. Gasping and moaning, writhing on the bed, his name falling like a chant from her lips. He ripped himself away and tore at the belt buckle and shoved his pants down his thighs. Didn’t even bother taking them all the way off before he plunged into her and took her mouth in a bruising kiss. She gasped into his mouth and then her nails were raking down his back and they were lost in a frenzy of kissing and fucking. Shane remembers the next day and Rick teasing him bout the wildcat he must’ve met on his day off if the scratches were any indication. He had tried to hide his smirk but then realized that Rick would expect it of him. So, he turned and looked at his brother and lied about the little filly he had met at a bar and taken home the night before. That day had started an affair that the two carried on right under his nose, part of the thrill being the thought of being caught. But what Lori didn’t know, and would never know if he had his way, was that part of it was hoping that Rick would join them one day.

Hearing the sigh come from the body next to him, he removes his arm from his face and looks over to see tears shimmering in her eyes.

“What kind of wife am I that I send my son to complete strangers so I can get my husband best friend’s dick in me”? Lori mumbles looking less ashamed than she really ought to.

“Now Lor, come on. You know it ain’t like that. We was gonna talk to him soon anyways. Let him know we was in love and that we wanted to be together. I don’t want the man to die, he’s my best friend for God’s sake, but man Lori this is like a sign we’re meant to be” Shane prattled on hiding his anger that she would try and ruin the aftermath of such a great fuck.

“No Shane” Lori replies sharply, “it’s not a sign. What kind of woman just leaves her husband so she can be with her lover and doesn’t think about what her son must be thinking about her leaving him not knowing what’s going on with his father? We shouldn’t be doing this right now, not while Rick is out there alone, unconscious and hurt” Lori sighs as she gets up off the bed and starts to get dressed.

Shane rears up and looks to where she’s standing, holding her arms wrapped around her stomach, ready to retort with some scathing comment before he realizes that she’s upset because she doesn’t care about what people think. He has to keep control of the situation, if he can’t keep her in check she might ruin everything telling Rick about them and making him lose the man that was like his brother. Standing behind her he slowly wraps his arms around her, tightening them a little when she tries to pull away.

“You’re a woman that is trying to find comfort with the man that she loves. I know that you still love Rick, hell I do too, but you’re not in love with him anymore, haven’t been for awhile now” Shane replied, panicking a little that she wouldn’t listen to him and would ruin everything.

“I know” Lori sighs, hanging her head, “but I just, I just don’t know what to do anymore”.

“It’ll work itself out the way it’s supposed to. I promise” Shane replies quietly into her ear while inside his heart started pounding. He wasn’t sure how, but he had to make sure that Rick never found out about them or it would all be over.


	13. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More of the family come together and now that they know where Rick is their going to find a way to get him no matter who tries to stand in their way.
> 
> EDITED 10/9/20 for some grammar and typos

_Kings County, Georgia- 1 1/2-month pre-apocalypse_

When Morgan Jones and his family rolled into Kings County Georgia a month or so before the shit was supposed to hit the fan he wasn’t sure what he was gonna find. When he heard that Rick was already shot and in the coma, Morgan decided that he and his family were there for a reason, the reason being to make sure that Rick made it back to his family safely and that they were with him when he did. After checking into the Air-nub that they had decided to rent for the next month, Morgan told his wife he needed to head straight to the hospital and figure out what he could do to help Rick. On the way to the hospital Morgan’s mind drifts to the day he woke up three months ago and remembers how it had felt seeing the concern in his Jenny’s eyes and the fear in Duane’s.

After talking with Duane Morgan realized that it wasn’t a crazy dream but memories of a time that hadn’t happened yet. He grabbed Duane to him and promised him that he was going to keep him and his momma safe this time. They were going to meet with Rick Grimes and his family, and they were all going to stay safe, together. Jenny was worried, questioning why Morgan was looking to go to some small-town hours away for a whole month and why he seemed to be so worried about a man that she had never met. Then one night she woke up screaming and sweating, sobbing while Morgan held her and murmured sweet words in her ear.

Finally, she had calmed enough, her sobs quieting into little hiccups and she started talking. In the midst of her telling him about the nightmare where a man ripped her throat out with his teeth they both noticed Duane standing silently in the doorway, tears streaming down his face. Jenny tried to clam up immediately, scared to have Duane hear the details when instead he started blubbering and apologizing. Saying he was sorry that he didn’t listen to daddy and that he tried to do what his daddy couldn’t so they could leave the town. It’s with these revelations that Jenny understands that it wasn’t just a bad dream but something that they had all lived through and she really had died. With that realization she had been onboard one hundred percent and the plans had moved forward rapidly.

Pulling into the parking lot of the hospital, Morgan pulls himself from the memories and parks. Taking a deep breath, he climbs out and looks around the parking lot, remembering seeing it crawling with walkers and deciding to move past it with his family. He wonders if instead of moving on, if they had stayed, would Duane have been saved and would things with Rick played out differently. Approaching the front desk, he takes a deep breath and straightens his back before asking for the room of Rick Grimes. The lady at the desk doesn’t even look up from the book she is reading as she rattles off a room number in a bored tone. Morgan shakes his head as he walks away, wondering how the hell Rick had made it the last time if this was the type of care he was given the last time.

After stepping off the elevator Morgan looks around for a sign to point him in the right direction and starts down the correct hallway. As he is passing the waiting room he hears the loud buzz of conversation and wonders if the people here have become close waiting for news on their loved ones. Just as he passes the doorway he hears a startled shout of his name and fast footsteps approaching from the room he had just passed. Looking behind him, he sees a Carol that he hadn’t seen before. One that was glowing and had a smile on her face for him. Turning fully towards her he has just enough time to open his arms for a hug before she hurls herself at him. Surprised at the physical contact from her, he looks down and sees the tears sparkling on her lashes.

“I know we weren’t close last time. I know that when we met we were both in different places but I’m so happy to see you. Are your wife and son with you, are they safe”? Carol hurriedly speaks as though unsure id Morgan will want to speak with her.

“Their fine. Waiting for me back at a house we’re renting here in town. When I heard Rick was in a coma again we had to get down here. We were hoping that we would find him and be able to help him and meet with any others who remembered along the way. What the hell happened? How could Rick of all people not remember what happened”? Morgan asked in a flabbergasted tone.

“Honestly, we’re not sure if he remembered or not. We tried to find him before everything happened, but it was like we just kept missing him. We were so busy setting up the farm that we kind of let it slip through the cracks and then before we knew it the news came that he had been shot and was in a coma. Carl remembers though and is staying with us out at the farm while we rotate coming out here and trying to get Rick to wake up” Carol replies.

“What about his wife, his friend?” Morgan asks a little anger in his voice remembering Rick confessing that Judith wasn’t his, but his best friends. He remembers the anger but most of all the hurt underlying Rick’s voice as he confessed the secret to Morgan one night after their reunion.

“Those two think they're being subtle but they're already acting as though the man is cold in his grave” Carol spits bitterly with disgust, looking angrier than Morgan ever remembers seeing her.

Morgan shakes his head, looking down and taking a deep breath. He hopes that if what Carol says is true and there are so many people that care about Rick that they will surround him with love and help him get through what's to come. The damn nerve of those two, carrying on when the man that they both profess to love lays fighting for his life, unaware of the betrayal that awaits him when he wakes up. Pushing an aggravated breath out Morgan stands up and looks at Carol who is watching him with a small smile.

“Never thought I would see you so angry. I remember what you were like and this is not the same man” Carol says with a small smile playing around her lips.

“I can’t be that man. Don’t mean I want to kill just to kill, but I know better now. Met some people after I left, and they taught me a damn hard lesson. I know that I got to be willing to do what I can to protect those I care about, including you” Morgan says with a kind twinkle in his eye.

“Alright, enough of this bonding. Let’s get you in to see Rick and then meet some of the others. You know some but some didn’t make it last time. My daughter, she’s here and her daddy isn’t, and I intend to keep it that way” Carol says with a smile grabbing his elbow and guiding him down the hallway.

Before entering the room Morgan takes another deep breath, exhaling it shakily before looking at Carol and nodding that he was ready. But then standing there, next to Rick and seeing the wires and IV’s running into his body, seeing how pale and small the man looks, Morgan realizes that he really hadn’t been ready to see Rick like this. Morgan remembers the first time around that he had been so anxious to keep his son safe he hadn’t paid as close attention to Rick’s appearance and was amazed to think that the man had made it as far as he had with the condition he was in. After looking to Rick another moment he turns to Carol and nods that he is ready to meet the others.

Upon entering the waiting area Morgan is amazed to see the amount of people gathered around talking, joking, and drinking coffee. He looks to Carol, a question in his eyes and sees her smirking once again at him. Before she can answer the unasked question a loud breaking news buzz comes from the T.V. that Morgan hadn’t noticed in the corner. Everyone becomes deadly silent as they turn as one and look at the T.V.

“This just in. We have alarming reports of an illness that is infiltrating multiple cities and causing multiple casualties. The CDC is warning people to stay out of densely populated areas as much as possible and to wear PPE if one must venture out. Tune in at 6 pm for a live news conference where the president will relay how we can keep ourselves and others safe. We now return you to the program already in progress”.

Startled out of the abrupt quiet that had fallen over the room Morgan looks around to see the agitation and fear on some people’s faces.

“Well mother-dick. Looks like we need to find a way to get pretty boy out to the farm pronto and start our shutdown procedures” booms a tall red-headed man standing with his hands on his hips.

The words said with such seriousness breaks the tension in the room causing startled laughter to break out from the others in the room. Morgan looks to see many of the people gathered shaking their heads at the antics of the man but also sees the tension that many are now holding in their bodies.

“Well would you look at who the cat dragged in. If it ain’t a bit of dark chocolate come to brighten up our day. How you doing Morgan?” the red head asks with a shit eating grin on his face.

“Just fine, thank you Abraham. Heard what happened and got here as soon as I could with my family. Thought we were going to have to save the man ourselves but looks as though he has a whole platoon ready to march his ass back to the compound” Morgan replies with a chuckle and shake of his head.

“Alright guys. I know we’re all happy to see more of our own and know that the rest of their family is safe as well, but really we need to come up with a plan and quick. If you don’t remember last time the army came through here and shot it up and that man’s best friend left him here for dead. We’re not gonna let that happen this time. Abraham you go with Morgan to get his family and have them follow you out to the farm. Rosita, you, and Eugene need to go to town and get some more food for a group meeting. I’m going to call Siddiq and have him contact Lori and Shane and make them come here for a meeting. I’m going to talk to Lori, tell her that you, Maggie, and Glenn, will take Carl out to the farm so that they can discuss what they need to without him around. I’ll stay here and give ya’ll a warning when the meetings over before those two head over to get him. Maybe try and talk them into letting Carl have a sleepover with all the kids since it’s a weekend” Carol barks out orders to everyone like a drill sergeant while Abraham grins and rocks back on his heels looking like a proud papa watching their kid take their first steps.

“What are you waiting for? Let’s go, chop-chop” Carol barks out, clapping her hands and breaking the silent enthrallment everyone was in from her barking orders at them.

“Sorry Morgan but looks like you and your family are going to get a crash course introduction to the farm and the people there. Can’t be helped though. I remember that within two weeks of that news conference the military started storming places with high infection rates and committing mass murder in hopes of stopping the infection from spreading”.

Looking around him Morgan smiles. He had made the right decision in coming here. He and his family were going to make it this time and they had a whole family that they were going to be safe with.

Later that afternoon while following Abraham the farm Jenny asked how he knew these people were safe. Morgan paused for a moment, thinking of how to properly word his reply. While he had been sure to cover a lot of details with his wife on what was coming there were still some things that she wasn’t ready to hear yet. She knew that both she and Duane had passed last time and that Rick had helped him to stay alive, but she didn’t know all the details. Morgan had talked to Duane and the boy agreed that they couldn’t tell her everything or she wouldn’t be willing to go the town that had caused the deaths of both himself and his mother as well as the mental break that Morgan had suffered after both loses. Duane agreed that they did need to find Rick again and this time they would go with him wherever he decided to go. Hearing of his condition have left both questioning if or when the man will remember.

Before Morgan can up with a suitable reply they come upon a dirt road and see the turn signal on the truck in front of them. Turning after the truck Morgan and his family are amazed to see the large fences that are in front of them and what looks like scaffolding holding people behind the gates. Looking further down the road Morgan sees the large trench that seems to follow around the entirety of the property and that there are two large gates at the front of the fence, one goes down first covering the trench so the vehicles can pass through and another that slides across essentially making t a double walled gate for protection against anything coming in. Following the truck down the dirt road they are amazed to see the amount of people that are already there as well as all the things they have already done on the farm. Morgan oks at Jenny out of the corner of his eye and sees the contemplation on her face as she gazes upon the structure they are passing.

To the left of the driveway there seem to be a flood of brightly colored tents as well as what look like a few outhouses on the border of the camping area, and beyond that are a few other larger structures. One is a barn that has people bustling about taking care of the livestock that are sure to reside withing, next to the barn are two lean to structures that look as though they are housing pigs and goats as well as an extra large chicken coop where people are also busy at work. To the right they see another three larger structures, one looks like the lean to as well but has what looks like roll down garage doors on all four sides in order to make it an enclosed structure. The second structure on the right looks as though it is a butchery with men and women alike working to break down animal carcasses and butchering them into different cuts. The last structure looks to be a smokehouse or cookhouse and has some large standing smokers that are already hard at work as well as what looks to be two or three industrial size grills charring some sort of fantastic smelling meat.

“Ok Morgan, I think you’re right. This is where we need to be” Jenny says after she takes a deep breath, squares her shoulders, and gives a sharp nod.

Climbing out of the car Abraham catches his eye and gives a nod as though to say, “that’s right we’re ready for anything” and then turns to the house. Climbing the stairs Morgan is startled out of his thoughts when the door opens and there stands the man that had led him back to Rick. The hunter has a tense look on his face, shoulders tight with tension but he makes sure to give a small nod in the direction of Morgan and his family and even mutters a good to see you before he seems to search for another face.

“Carol had to stay back for right now. She wanted to have a meeting with Lori and Shane so they could come up with an action plan after the news today. Not sure what she has planned but I know I wouldn’t want to cross her” Morgan replies to the unasked questions in the hunter’s eyes.

“Yeah, sound’s ‘bout right. That woman’ll always get her way” Daryl replies in a low mutter looking even more uneasy than he had before Morgan had answered the unasked questions.

“Hello folks, my name is Hershel Greene, and this here is our home. Morgan it’s nice to meet you, Rick told me a lot about you and how he was sorry that he didn’t get you and your boy to come with him last time. Now I know that there are a lot of faces, some unfamiliar, we will introduce you all tonight at our dinner. We’re going to start discussing some sort of game plan in order to make sure that we get Rick this time. Lori and Shane have been out here enough times that I’m sure they have questions, but we’re hoping that since they see the amount of provisions we have they will come here instead of going elsewhere. We have a few people who are going to start watching the news and doing some research so we can have a better idea of a timeline on this thing. The same things are happening as last time but who’s to say that the timeline won’t change”.

“Nice to meet you Hershel. This here is my wife Jenny and our son Duane. We’ll be more than happy to pitch in wherever you need us. I was a welder and all-around handyman; my wife Jenny was a pharmacist, and my son was a whiz at research on the computer. Anything we can do to help we will”.

“All right seems like those are some good skills to add to those we already have. Let’s get you situated out on a plot of the camping area and then it should just be about time for our meal and our meeting. Carol already called and said that she had talked to Lori and gotten permission for Carl to stay overnight so he and my daughter and son-in-law should be here soon and he can help introduce Duane to everyone” Hershel replied with a grin on his face and a pat to Morgan’s shoulder.


	14. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rick has arrived and Lori and Shane are assholes. Daryl had an enlightening conversation with Hershel and things start moving even quicker.

_Senoia, Georgia- 5 weeks pre-apocalypse_

Daryl stood to the side of the porch nervously biting the cuticle of his right thumb in between taking deep draws of the cigarette held in his left hand. Carol had called them all together for a meeting the night before to discuss the transport of Rick from the hospital to the farm. It had been decided that though they were going to raid the hospital after for supplies, they were not going to take the chance that Rick was barricaded this time. With Shane spending more and more time with Lori the group was unsure if he would actually visit like last time and try to save him. Daryl had spoken up at the meeting they held right after Morgan and his family rolled into town, said he didn’t like the shifty eyes that Shane had when they were talking about Rick being moved. Said he wasn’t sure if the man remembered or not, but they weren’t going to take the chance that he let Rick die this time. Carol had unsurprisingly agreed with him but what had drawn his attention was the agreement from Morgan. The man hadn’t been around even a full day and if he was seeing the same thing than Daryl knew there was something to worry about.

Lori of course had fought at first, saying there was no where sterile for Rick to be kept, then stating that it was too far for her to travel and visit every day. Daryl had had to hide his snort behind a cough at that, knowing from the rotation of people that visited that Lori only made it there a couple times a week and those were usually on the same days Shane went to visit. Carol had soothed her letting her know that the team was already working on an addition to the house and t would be complete withing the week and Hershel was more than happy to let Rick be the first occupant. Lori had still tried to valiantly argue against her husband being moved until his Doctors, Siddiq and his father Adeel, stated that they were worried with the fast spreading of the illness that had been reported and worried that they would be seeing more and more cases coming to the hospital in the coming weeks.

When Siddiq told Lori that the best option was to take him somewhere that he could get the full attention of medical staff she was slightly mollified. Shane on the other hand seemed to get more and more agitated that Rick was going to be moved from the hospital. At one point Abraham had to intervene when Shane tried to use his height and profession as tactic to get Carol to back off, though he needn’t have bothered with the cold glare that Carol had sent Shane’s way that had made the man pale before slowly backing away as though from a predator.

It had only taken Daryl, Merle, and two dozen others about a week and half to complete the add-on. When Lori had come out to the farm and seen it she had tears in her eyes and thanked them all, even Daryl and Merle, for the kindness they were showing her family. Little did she know that the majority of them could give two shits what happened to her except they still needed her for Judith, and they weren’t going to take any chances with the man that they all loved and respected. Carl had been spending almost every weekend out at the farm trying to help with whatever preparations that he could as well as avoiding Shane and his mom as much as possible. They could all see the tension bubbling under the surface and were worried that the boy would lose his cool before they got Rick back where he belonged.

Daryl reflected on the conversation he had with Carl just two nights ago while he waited for the private ambulance that was set to deliver Rick.

“I just can’t be there with them all the time!!! Every time I turn around Shane is calling me ‘buddy’ and trying to ruffle my hair. Mom keeps telling me I need to listen to Shane, acting like he’s my dad when he ain’t. I see the way she looks at him and I just want to scream. I was too busy lashing out at my dad to understand what was going on before with them and my relationship with dad was never the same” Carl had ranted as he walked a tight line between the barn where Daryl was leaning and the fence line for the horse corral.

Daryl took a deep drag of the cigarette that was slowly turning to embers. He hadn’t really known what to say but he knew that the boy needed someone that would listen to him vent so he had. Carl had gone on for damn near another hour before he had finally seemed to lose all energy and had collapsed next to Daryl. The next words out of his mouth had frozen the breath that Daryl had just drawn and made him choke on the acrid taste of smoke as he coughed it up.

“You know I understand why dad was always most at peace with you. He never had to say a word to you, it was as though you had one mind split between two bodies. He was never much of a talker and mom used to always yell and scream at him, barking to ‘speak’ just so she knew he cared. I don’t think she realized how many times she said those things in front of me and how last time it colored my way of seeing him. Looking back now I realize that they were never going to be happy, even though dad was going to keep trying for me and Judith. Dad needs you and you need him, and honestly me and Judith are going to need you too. I hope some things don’t happen like last time, but I know that you make us a complete family and we need you” Carl had basically been slurring at the end, adrenaline and anger finally being won over by exhaustion.

Hearing the hum of a vehicle approaching and seeing the dust shooting out behind it, lured Daryl from his memories. Looking up as he threw the smoldering butt into the tin bucket next to him Daryl saw Carol’s station wagon followed by a private van type ambulance and Shane’s jeep bringing up the rear. Seeing that vehicle startled a snort of disgust of the man knowing that it was going to delay him seeing Rick anytime soon. They had worked hard to keep Daryl out on the farm and away from the hospital so that there wouldn’t be a confrontation between the two men. Daryl had abided by their wishes, knowing that it was going to be hard enough to convince them to let Rick stay out here without letting his anger at the two people that were supposed to love him the most overshadow the decision that needed to be made. Every time that asshole came out to get Carl he seemed to seek Daryl out and try to taunt him with slurs and derisive comments, trying to ruffle the hunter enough to attack. Daryl wasn’t sure but the way Shane acted seemed to be another nail in the he remembered category, especially after he remembered the comments the cop made back at the farm about how close he and Rick were getting.

The slamming of doors shook him once again from his memories and made him look up where Hershel was busy guiding the two EMT’s around to the side of the house where the addition had been added on. Though they had made an entrance off the house as well, they had made sure that there was also an outside entrance and that it was accessible from the driveway to make the transition faster. Carol turned to where he was standing and gave a slight nod before turning to greet Shane and Lori as they climbed out of the vehicle. Daryl shook his head and started to turn away when Carl rocketed through the front door, anxious to make sure his dad was delivered safely to his new living arrangements. Carl paused long enough to throw a wide smile over his shoulder at Daryl before almost tumbling down the steps in his haste to reach his father.

Daryl almost snarled when he saw Shane reach out and grab the boy by his shoulder, yelling at him to slow down. Lori placed her hand on Shane’s forearm and murmured something that Daryl couldn’t hear but he sure saw the way that Shane kind of smirked at her before shrugging and letting Carl go. His moving must have finally registered as Lori looked to the porch where he stood and the look on his face must have been one of disgust because she abruptly dropped her hand and looked down, face flushed in either embarrassment or shame. Daryl snorted and walked back into the house. He’d wait to see the man until they had left, after all he had waited this long to see him, a little longer wouldn’t kill him.

It took hours ‘before everyone finally filed out of the man’s room. Daryl had sat on the front porch smoking cigarette after cigarette watching them all file in and out. A few of them had taken a moment or two to sit next to him, just checking in and making sure he was okay. Daryl remembers what it had been like before the apocalypse last time, just him and his brother and him thinking he was fine with that. He had thought for a long time the same way as his brother, that the Dixons didn’t need anyone else but these people, these people had changed his definition not only of family but of himself. Daryl is startled out of his thoughts when Merle sits next to him and jostles his knee with his own.

“It’s alright baby brother, they’se almost done in there and then ya can go and see yer man”.

“What the hell ya on about now, ya dick”? asked Daryl sneeringly as he pushed at his brother’s shoulder, though with considerably less force than he would have used before.

“Ah hell, baby brother, they all know that as soon as that man wakes up and sees ya that queenie is done fer. Even if’n he don’ ‘member he gonna see the way those two making eyes atchother and it’s over man. He was a smart man last time, but he was stuck tryin’ to make a home for his kid when there weren’t no more around, and he got stuck. He’s gonna wake up here, with this family, and know that he don’ gotta do that again”.

Daryl looks at his brother in silent contemplation and then goes to open his mouth but then Merle jostles his shoulder again, almost gently.

“And hell, that man wakes up remembering ain’t no way in hell that Officer Prick is gonna’ get to try and take over again. That man was a natural leader and we’se gonna need him again fer what’s coming”.

Before Daryl can reply, though he’s not sure how he would have if given the chance, Carol peeks around the door and lets him know that Lori and Shane are getting ready to leave. Daryl and Merle stand up, brushing off their backsides and then walking towards the front door. Behind him he can already hear Shane’s loudmouth running a mile a minute and can’t even find the energy to try and figure out what he’s saying. Instead Daryl stops off in the bathroom and looks at himself really quick, frowning when he sees the shorter hair he is willing to grow out, missing the ability to hide behind it when things get uncomfortable for him. Daryl strolls slowly to the front door hoping to miss the departure of Lori and Shane and instead is faced with Lori as soon as he opens the door. He pauses and looks down unsure of what she wants.

“Hi Daryl, I just wanted to formally introduce myself. I know you were a friend of my husbands too; Carl talks about you all the time. Tells me and Shane about you teaching him tracking, and whistles, teaching him how to be careful and I just wanted to say thank you. Just so you know you could have come in with us and seen him, you didn’t need to stay out here” Lori said to him in a soft voice, almost as though not wanting Shane to overhear.

“I am a friend of your husband. Man ain’t dead yet and we ain’t gonna let him die neither” Daryl retorts gruffly, only able to single out how she had said “was” as though the man were already dead.

Daryl squints up at Lori from under his lashes as though daring her to argue with him.

“You’re…you’re right of course. He’s still alive, for now. One of Shane’s doctor friends isn’t too hopeful though since he hasn’t woken up yet” Lori replied in a startled voice.

“Yeah I’m sure Shane’s friend is just all twisted up that the man hasn’t woken up yet” Daryl replies in a snarling voice.

Lori pulls back as though scorched from the heat that is behind Daryl’s words. He sees the moment that she realizes that he knows what’s going on between her and that asshole claiming to be his best friend. Sees the surprise then the anger as she stands up straight and takes a step towards him.

“I don’t know what you think you know but you better not say a word to my son. He doesn’t need to think about anything but that his daddy is going to get better and come back home to us, not stay here on this farm with people that think their better than us. I knew I shouldn’t have let those damn Indians talk me into letting him stay here. I’m going back to that hospital and taking Rick back there first thing tomorrow” Lori hissed, anger, fear, and contempt all mixing in her voice.

“Well now seems we might have a problem out here Mrs. Grimes. I’m going to forgive your insensitive slur towards the two fine doctors that are handling your husbands care and ask you to leave this property. Now you can come back tomorrow if you want and try to take Rick from us but just know that we’ve already contacted his lawyer and seems as though he had the fortitude to name Daryl here as his power of attorney so there’s no way you’re getting him without a fight. Now I think it’s best if we all take a break from each other for the night. Now, please don’t punish Carl by taking him away when he just got his daddy where he can see him more often. Just head on home for the night and take a breath before you come out and talk to us again” Hershel stated calmy but firmly from behind Daryl.

Lori looked as though her body was zapped with the way she jerked and ripped her eyes from Daryl and towards Hershel. Daryl could see the anger and resentment in her eyes upon realizing that the old man had heard her. Then his body kind of jerked and he spun to face Hershel upon actually understanding what the man had just said. Hershel gave him a small smile and a nod in affirmation before frowning again and looking towards Lori. Lori deflated as though she were a balloon and all the air had been let out of her.

“Alright. You’re right I said things in anger I never should have. I…I didn’t know about the power of attorney and I can’t think about that right now. I need to have a night and just relax. I’ll come back tomorrow though and I want to see these papers and talk to that lawyer. I’ll let Carl stay here for now because you’re right I can’t take him away when his dad just got here but I’m not sure how long I’m going to let that continue” Lori replied, subdued and sounding so tired.

“Yo, Lori, what’s the hold up here? We gotta get going. I got a shift in the morning and can’t be staying here at all hours of the night” came Shane’s bellow before he ripped open the screen door as though it had wronged him somehow.

Lori looks to Shane and e must see how upset she is because suddenly he’s pissed and strides towards Daryl with fury in every step.

“What’d you do you stupid hillbilly, meth head!!! Huh, you and me need to go down to the station and have a talk?” Shane snarls in Daryl’s face while trying to get a hand on the man.

“I’m going to stop you right there Officer Walsh and tell you that you better not lay a hand on anybody, man, woman or child that are on this farm. Now Lori was just a little upset because she found out some things, but I told her not Daryl. I think it’s best if you take her home now and if she wants you to know she’ll tell you. But as of right now I don’t want you back on my property, whether you’re with Lori or not, until you can stop using that language in my house. Now we already talked, and Carl will still be staying overnight, and Lori is going to come back in the morning” Hershel replied firmly and with barely controlled anger in his voice.

Daryl saw how pissed Shane was about the farmer telling him what the hell to do. He saw the nostrils flaring as he was breathing heavy like a bull, veins bulging in his forehead and his neck. Daryl watched as Lori placed her hand gently on his forearm and squeezed getting him to look at her and she just shook her head gently and pulled as though she was strong enough to pull him away.

“Fine, but I’m still going to talk to the local law. Make sure they know who they got keeping company in this area. Don’t think they’ll be happy to hear about these jackasses you got staying here” Shane retorts hotly, while glaring between Hershel and Daryl.

“Well that’s where you’re wrong son. Those men down at the station respect me as an elder in the area and already know about everybody that’s out here working on this farm. In fact, the sheriff and his deputies alike have been known to come out here and help on the weekends. Two of the boys helped Daryl and his brother finish that addition that Rick’s in now and would be mighty upset thinking that you were trying to go out of your jurisdiction. The sheriff might even need to have a word with your boss and make sure you know what the boundaries of your area are” Hershel replied with a twinkle in his eye and a small smile playing around his lips.

“Pssh. Fine, whatever. You wanta have trash out here I can’t stop you, but I can sure as hell make sure Rick, Carl and Lori ain’t here come tomorrow” Shane retorted obviously pissed that the old man had called his number.

“Again, I think you need to talk to Lori before you try and make those decisions, but for now I want you off my property or I will call the local law and maybe see if we don’t need to have that discussion with your boss sooner rather than later” Hershel gritted out between his teeth, his anger at the monster that stood before him finally starting to shine through.

Shane glanced at Lori again, this time a question in his eyes.

“It’s fine Shane. I’ll fill you in on the way home. There are some things it seems neither of us knew about Rick. Seems he was keeping with the tradition of not talking and staying silent even when there where things that pertained to our son and our life” Lori says quietly with an undertone of bitterness.

“Fine. But I promise this you redneck piece of trash, you’re not always going to have someone next to you and I’m going to take advantage of when that happens” Shane hisses into Daryl’s face before abruptly turning on his heel and grabbing Lori’s arm hard enough for her to yelp and walk out the door.

“That man is definitely not welcome here. We know he killed Otis and we know that he wanted to kill you, your brother and most importantly Rick last time. Looks like I will need to call Sheriff Willis and give him a head’s up though” Hershel said with a tired sigh and a clap to Daryl’s shoulder.

“But enough with that, I think it’s time you finally go and see our leader. I think he might need to have his second in command talk to him to bring him back to us” Hershel head with a small huff of a laugh.

“Wait Hershel” Daryl called as the man went to leave the room. “Did Rick really talk to a lawyer and set me up as his power of attorney? Whatever that is” Daryl said with shyness in his voice.

“Yes son. I had just gotten off the phone with her when I heard the discussion between you and Lori. Seems out illustrious leader did remember but knew that things needed to happen in order for us to have the medical supplies that we ran so short on last time. She’s going to be coming out here in the next day or two. She just has to make a few stops on the way” Hershel replies, again with a twinkle in his eye and a small grin on his face.

“Well. Who’s the lawyer then?” Daryl asked in a huffy voice.

“Andrea, son. Andrea’s his lawyer and she’s gonna get her sister and parents and then pick Dale up to make their way here. It’s good son, more of the family is coming” Hershel replies gently with a smile.

“Well let’s hope she’s better at shootin’ than she was last time” Daryl replies snarkily before clapping Hershel on the back and walking towards where Rick is waiting for him. Shaking his head as he hears the booming laugh Hershel lets out at his retort but still there’s a smile on his face as he makes the walk to the man that seems to know he’ll always be there for him, always be his wingman. The asshole.


	15. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Andrea comes to the farm and takes a walk down memory lane about her conversations with Rick. An unexpected character remembers and sets them self on a path that could lead to absolution or to death.

_Senoia, Georgia- 5 weeks pre-apocalypse_

When Andrea turned onto the old farm road with Dale following in his new R.V., she was amazed to see the changes that had been brought to the farm. She remembers how scared she had been the night they had lost it all, the night that she was left behind. It had taken her awhile to overcome her anger or hurt, realizing that if they had really thought there was a possibility of her being alive they would have come back for her. She also knows that if she hadn’t been left behind she wouldn’t have met Michonne. While their friendship had been strained at the end, they had still loved each other like sisters, and they had been able to make a small connection in the end. Looking at Amy sitting next to her she knows that she will do whatever she has to in order to ensure the survival of her sister this time. Losing Amy last time had sent her on a horrible downward spiral last time, and she wouldn’t let that happen this time.

When Rick had contacted her four months ago, she wondered how a man she had never met knew that she held her license in both Florida and Georgia to practice. When he had started explaining that he needed a POA for someone who he had no contact information for, she was stymied. Why didn’t the man just use his wife as POA since that was the most sensible thing to do? When he explained to her that his wife was currently cheating on him with his best friend and might not have his best intentions at heart she had been angry. Then he had told her that the man he wanted as POA would probably only be found by looking through the court records of his felonious brother which made her intrigued as to why a man of the law would want someone like that as a POA.

“I know it’s a lot to ask of you Andrea, but I need this to happen and happen soon. My boy, I’m not sure if he knows about my wife and friend or not but he needs to know that I’ll always come back for him. The young man, Daryl, that I want you to find, he’s my best friend, almost like a missing piece” Rick had rumbled in a deep voice over the phone.

“Alright Rick, the best thing I can do is come out to see you and get some signatures and descriptions from you. I’d rather meet face to face, makes it easier to see when somebody is withholding something, whether intentional or not. I can be there in about three days and we can get everything filed for you” Andrea replied, curious now to meet this man.

“Thank you Andrea, you have no idea how much this means to me. I’ll see you soon” and Rick had hung up the phone.

Three days later, Andrea had still been running through the conversation with Rick over and over trying to place why he sounded so familiar. The name he had given, Daryl Dixon, had been almost impossible to find any information on, but his brother Merle, well he was a different story. Seemed the man couldn’t go even three months without being thrown in jail for something. The younger Dixon’s last known address was a dead end and had left Andrea rift with frustration trying to find the man.

Pulling into the diner about an hour away from King’s County, Andrea noticed a man standing at the truck next to her. He was tall and skinny; with chestnut brown hair and the brightest blue eyes she had ever seen. The eyes seemed to pierce their way into her skull as though searching for answers to questions that hadn’t been asked yet. Then he smiled, just a small smile, and Andrea felt some of the tension melt from her shoulders.

“Hi Andrea. Thanks for meeting me out here. Not too sure if you know about small towns but wouldn’t look good if one of the townspeople saw a married man of the law meet a beautiful blond in town without his wife. Don’t think they’d understand, and I don’t need the added drama right now” Rick said with a small grin on his face.

Andrea smiled back, still wondering why the man seemed so familiar. Just talking to him on the phone had tickled something in her brain but seeing him, it was as though alarms were blaring in her head. But instead of the alarms being in protest of meeting the man they seemed to be in protest that she would be leaving after the meeting. Rick tipped his head back and looked at her as though he knew every thought that was going through her head and waved his hand for her to walk in front of him. Nodding, she walked to the door and went to the table furthest from the front in a corner where she sat with her back to the wall and facing both the entrance and emergency exit. Rick paused at the table after she sat and gave a small huff of a laugh and a nod of his head.

“Seems you know to always be on the lookout for danger, the way you’re sitting there”.

“Honestly, I just started being more aware in the last few months. I don’t know what it is, but something has my hairs on end. Don’t seem to feel safe anywhere, always feel like there’s someone watching me and it’s freaking me out” Andrea murmured in a soft tone, wondering why she would be spilling these secrets to a complete stranger.

Looking up from the table she saw Rick’s eyes as they sharpened, looking at her intently as though searching for an answer to a question he hadn’t even voiced. He inhales sharply then nods and looks down at his hands clasped together on the table before taking a deep breath.

“I know this is going to sound crazy, but we know each other. We were part of a small group of survivors, a family. We never knew each other in the old world but in the new world we were allies. There was an incident and you got left behind, by mistake, and by the time we found you again there was a man, Philip Blake, liked to call himself The Governor. He had set up shop in a small town and ruled with an iron fist. He was blood thirsty and out of his mind and by the time you realized it and tried to come back to us it was too late. He locked you in a room and left someone there to kill you. We found you right after and it was too late and we lost you” Rick says slowly, looking intently into her eyes to make sure that she hears everything that he is saying and so that she knows that he is being honest.

Andrea sits back looking at the man across from her. She should tell him he’s crazy and leave right now but something tells her to stay and to listen.

“Alright, Rick Grimes, tell me more” Andrea replies and what she is told shakes her to her core.

They separated that afternoon without having even gotten into the whole reason Andrea was supposedly there. Rick asked her to meet him tomorrow at the diner at the same time and he would answer any more questions she had. He told her he wanted her to sleep on it before she overloaded from the information he had. That night laying in an unfamiliar hotel room, she dreamed of people shambling out of the woods, she dreamed of her sister getting bitten by one and watching as the light faded from her eyes. Saw her sister come back and try to attack her. Then there was some kind of under-ground bunker and then heartache and fire. There was a farm after and a tall, muscular man with a crooked nose that sent alarms ringing through her ears again, followed by a mob of those same dead things sending her running, stumbling through woods. Then there was a man with an eye patch and a cold stare, watching a show of those same monsters but on chains with two humans fighting in a ring. The last thing she sees is the warm brown eyes of a dark-skinned woman who is holding her tight and Rick standing by her saying that she was family, then there is nothingness.

Andrea wakes up gasping for air, reaching for a knife that wasn’t where it should be. She looks around frantically before she realizes where she is and takes a deep breath. Blinking she turns on the light and grabs the notebook she always keeps by her bedside. She scribbles everything down quickly, using her shorthand so she remembers everything. She’s going to talk to Rick tomorrow and get to the bottom of this.

By the time morning rolls around, Andrea is trembling from the amount of caffeine she had consumed and the nervous energy trembling through her body. She needs answers and she needs them yesterday. She heads to the diner a little early and is unsurprised to find Rick already there. He looks at her through the windshield as she pulls up and there is a grim look on his face as nods his head at her. As soon as she gets out of the car she is hurrying towards him, ready for some kind of confrontation but he puts a hand up and for some reason she stops and just looks at him.

“I take it you remember, and you have some questions. Let’s go and sit down and I’ll answer all of them, as long as you promise to listen to everything before making any hasty decisions” Rick says in a calm voice.

“You better talk, and talk fast, because I’m ready to call someone higher up and have you investigated” Andrea hisses in confused anger.

And then they sat and talked for hours. Rick telling her things that he shouldn’t possibly know, things that she had never told anybody else. By the end of their conversation Andrea has a headache from all the memories flooding back. Andrea finally remembers Daryl and asks Rick if he was sure that was who he wants charged with his care if anything happens and seeing the small smile and look of contentment that floods his face gives Andrea pause. Maybe there was more to the younger Dixon than she knew if he could make Rick look like a lovesick fool.

“Does he know?” she asked.

“Does who know what?” asked Rick with an honestly perplexed look on his face.

“Does Daryl know you’re in love with him” she replied

“Not yet, but he will. Now there’s still more things we have to do before we can head to the farm. I know if any of the other’s remember that’s where they’ll go. I have a list of things I’m working on acquiring right now to bring with me and a way to get away from Lori with Carl. I figure I should be just about ready to see them all in a few days” Rick says with an odd look on his face.

But then two days later she was phoned at work and told Rick had been shot. When she asked how she was told that he was shot while off duty when he went to the store to pick up milk for his wife. The assailant still hadn’t been caught and it was driving the department crazy that they couldn’t find out who had done this to their friend. Andrea was left wondering why Rick had been sent back with his memories just to be waylaid from meeting with the others. She remembers Shane saying he had been shot in the line of duty last time and wonders not for the first time the lengths the man will go to in order to stop Rick from keeping Lori.

Unfortunately, she has no one to share her suspicions with so instead she starts trying to dig up all the information she can about the incident. She knows that she should contact the farm and see if anyone remembers and if they do, let them know that she and Rick remembered as well but she was anxious to help Rick in any way she could. Before she knew it almost three months had passed and she had just been able to locate an eyewitness to Rick’s shooting and was set to interview them the next day when she receives a phone call from the hospital from a doctor named Siddiq telling her that Rick’s wife didn’t seem happy about the arrangements that had been made for him and her name was listed as an emergency contact in his files.

After some slight prodding she was able to get that Rick had been moved out to a farm that belonged to a friend of his and she gasped, realizing that the others must have remembered and already started planning for him. Siddiq paused at hearing her response and then decided to nudge the conversation in a slightly different direction, wondering if this was someone the others would know. When he said he was worried that Lori would start trouble with what was going on Andrea drew herself up straight in her chair and started laughing. Her laughter caused Siddiq to pause and wonder if maybe she wasn’t someone that they needed to worry about.

“Well too damn bad for her that she has no say. There’s a man, Daryl Dixon, that Rick made his POA. I’ve been trying to track the man down for a while now and hopefully I’ll be able to find him sooner rather than later, until then as his attorney I can make a lot of red tape appear so that she can’t get her way” Andrea snapped in anger.

“Well you’re in luck then. Daryl Dixon is staying out on that farm where Rick was moved. Been there for months helping with some work around the farm that needed doing” Siddiq replied, finally realizing that this meant Rick knew something might happen to him and had been prepared. He wasn’t sure what had happened, but he knew that he needed to get ahold of the others.

“Well then I need the number to the Greene farm so that I can talk to the man. He needs to know that he’s in charge of Rick’s care and Lori doesn’t have a leg to stand on” Andrea replied, grabbing a pen, and pulling a pad of paper closer to her.

“I didn’t mention the name of the owner of the farm. Is there something I should know about?” replied Siddiq slowly, now positive that she must have been a part of the earlier group.

“Well if there’s anything you need to know I’m sure the information will come to you when it needs to. Now can I have that number, please” Andrea replied and put an end to the line of questioning.

Andrea had called the farm immediately and had actually cried a little at hearing Hershel’s voice. After calming down Andrea gave a brief rundown on what her and Rick had been up to and most importantly that Daryl had final say of where Rick was at. When Hershel asked why they hadn’t come earlier or why she herself hadn’t come since the shooting Andrea debated on how much to say over the phone. Finally, she nodded her head and decided.

“I’ll be there in three days. I already told Amy to be ready for a little weekend trip soon and told my parents I wanted to take them with me to meet some friends of mine. I tracked Dale down just a couple of weeks ago and he remembers now, he’s ready for me to pick him up whenever I can. I have some more information to give you but I think it needs to be a group meeting to let my suspicions out” Andrea replied already standing up and gathering her things while simultaneously texting Amy and telling her it was time to get ready.

“What do you mean suspicions?” Hershel says in a semi-dark tone.

“Well I think I know how and why Rick got injured but I have no proof right now” Andrea replied.

“Well guess you better get here as fast as you can so we can figure out a way to bring the man some justice, whether old world or new world, we will take care of our own” Hershel replied firmly.

With that Hershel and Andrea made final arrangements for when Andrea and the others would arrive and who would be in on the meeting.

Andrea is pulled from her memories when Amy starts talking.

“Do you really know these people, are you sure it’s safe to be with them? I mean you did say they left you behind last time” Amy questions haltingly.

“Like I said they had every reason to believe I went down with the herd. If they had known there was even a chance that I had survived they would have come back for me. Rick is a good man and he wanted to welcome me back after I found them again, but I couldn’t put my self-importance aside to go back to them. They are good people and I know that they will help to keep all of us alive this time” Andrea replies patiently.

“Amy if your sister says we should trust them than we should. I didn’t want to believe her at first about what was coming but after the news started spreading I knew she was telling the truth. From what she told us it’s happening much more quickly than last time, so we need to get ready” James, Amy and Andreas father says firmly.

“Your father is right dear. We need to form a community now before things go down. We need to show that we are able to contribute to the group and if you go in with this attitude they may not be willing to let us stay” Olivia, the girl’s mother says.

“Mom, like I said they won’t kick us out, but you have to understand a lot of this group met horrible people after the world ended. They lost a lot of the group and they want to make sure that everyone there can be a team player. They need to know they can trust us just like we are trusting them. I won’t lose these people again. I lost them before due to me grieving over the loss of all of you and letting my anger and hurt lash out at them. I’m hoping the news that I give them at the meeting will help mend the bridges that I tried to burn to the ground” Andrea replies sadly, thinking back to how what her actions had caused.

By the end of her sentence they have pulled up to the front of the farm and parked in what seemed to be the designated parking area. Stepping out of the vehicle she shields her eyes as she looks behind to make sure that Dale is still following her. After the new R.V. is parked Dale steps down and walks towards Andrea’s SUV.

“I didn’t believe this was the same place until I saw the front porch. I’ll never forget the setup they had out there. Are you ready to see the rest of the group?” Dale asks quietly, looking steadily at Andrea.

“I’m sure Dale. These people are good people, they were our people. I need to make sure that they know everything that has happened, but most importantly, I want to be with them” Andrea replies with confidence.

Andrea hears the creak of the screen door as it opens and is shocked to see Michonne staring back at her with tears in her eyes. Hershel told her that she hadn’t been found yet that they had been searching for her, but she had been so closed mouthed about her past that they didn’t even know where she was from, so they had no good leads. Andrea herself had hired some of the best private detectives and come up with nothing. So, seeing her friend here, seeing her alive and with her son on her hip that is what finally breaks Andrea. She falls to her knees finally letting all of the emotions that she had been repressing for the last months come to the forefront. When Michonne kneels next to her and starts murmuring is when Andrea realizes that she had been letting out a keening sound. Finally, she quiets, looking at the little boy that is looking at her with hesitation.

“How? Hershel said that they couldn’t find you. I couldn’t find you, even with the best detectives there seemed to be no sign of you” Andrea murmurs, gently hugging Michonne to her.

“I had to disappear for a while. When I first woke up remembering I thought I must have been crazy but then two days later Mike and Terry came to me with tears in their eyes and said that they didn’t know why they hadn’t listened to me. They knew that the camp wasn’t safe and still they didn’t think to protect our little boy. They came to me and promised that it wouldn’t be the same this time. That they would do whatever they had to and make sure that we all stayed safe and together. I still didn’t want to believe that it was memories and not nightmares, so I started researching the name I remembered, the places and people and when I found out those people and places were real I kind of shut down for a while. Then I took the boys to a detox facility and checked them in and while they were detoxing I started getting ready. I gathered supplies and started listing everyone that I needed to find again. About a week ago the boys got released and I found out that Rick was shot on the same day. I remembered the last name of Hershel and his girls and called him up, asking if he knew where Rick or the others were. He told me about what they were doing here, about what had happened with Rick and how you were on your way here and we left that night” Michonne replied with a small smile on her face.

“I…I want to catch up with you, I do. But first I need to let the others what going on. I need them to know what I know about Rick” Andrea replies, wiping the tears from her eyes.

“I’d like to go with you if you don’t mind. Last time, after everything, Rick, and I, we got together. I care deeply for the man, but he wasn’t ready last time for the person that he’s meant to be with” Michonne says with an enigmatic smile.

“I’m guessing that you mean Daryl?” Andrea replies ruefully. “I would never have thought that Rick and Daryl would be a couple”.

“Well you didn’t seem them after the farm fell and when we were in the prison. It was as though they were one person spilt into two. Half the time the two didn’t even communicate with words, just looks, whistles and hand signals. I tell you it was some eerie stuff” Michonne says.

“Well, let’s not keep the man waiting then. I’m sure he has a ton of questions for me by now” Andrea replies, getting up and dusting off her knees. Bracing herself for the oncoming conversation, Andrea starts up the driveway and braces herself to see the rest of the group again for the first time in a long time.

_King’s County Georgia- the same day_

Shane was pissed at the world. He was pissed at Rick for getting shot, he was pissed that they couldn’t find whoever was responsible and he was pissed that the woman he loved was ignoring him. He knew that their affair wasn’t the right thing, but they did love each other. They were going to work their way up to telling Rick when the accident happened. Now Lori was pushing him away, trying to act like a caring wife for a crowd of people that didn’t even know them. And that was another thing, Shane knew he had been busy the past few months, trying to cover his affair with Lori and not arouse Rick’s suspicions but he could swear that the man had never mentioned the supposed trips he and Carl had taken out to that farm.

Those Dixon asshole pieces of trash were treated with more respect than Shane was, and it was pissing him off. Why the fuck would they care about what some redneck trash thought or did but not respect a man of the law. He knows it might have something to do with how him and Lori had been acting, but it wasn’t any of their business. He didn’t like the fact he was out on that farm any more than Lori did. He just knew that the younger Dixon would probably relish in telling Rick about him and Lori. Shane had seen the look in the guy’s face when he thought no one was paying attention. That sicko had some perverted thoughts going on in his head about his best friend and he was aching for a way to make the man pay for even thinking about Rick that way.

Coming up against another dead end, Shane flung his arm across his desk, scattering the paperwork while shouting, “dammit”. He noticed how everyone in the station grew quiet, looking at Shane as though he was just a breath away from going crazy. They had all been shying away from him the past few weeks and Shane wasn’t sure if it was because they were now aware of the affair or if they thought he might be behind the attack on Rick. Shane bared his teeth in a facsimile of a smile, pissed that people he had worked with for years would really think he would be able to do that to Rick.

“Walsh, my office. Now!” barked Captain Grady.

Shane put his head down for a minute and took a few deep breaths. Getting up from his desk he stepped over the paperwork that had fluttered to the ground during his tantrum and walked to the office. He knew the Captain knew about the affair as well now and was worried that he was going to be put on suspension for unbecoming conduct from an officer. Getting to the door, Shane drew another deep breath before walking through the door.

“Shut the door” Grady barked. “Now I know you’re frustrated we haven’t found the person or persons responsible for Rick’s accident yet, but you need to calm the hell down. Those people out there are getting worried with how you’re acting. Now I know that even though you were going behind his back with his wife you wouldn’t have done this. You love that man like a brother, even if you haven’t been acting like it lately. I think you need to take some time off and maybe get a little distance from the station”.

Shane blinked at the Captain, unsure how to take what the man was saying. Then the anger came, anger at himself for putting Lori, Rick, and himself in this position. Even Carl had been drawing away from him and he didn’t know what to do with that. Before he could respond his captain put his hand up and made him pause.

“I’m not saying that I don’t understand, but Shane, you’re running yourself ragged. We’re still going to explore every avenue when it comes to Rick’s accident, but I think the people out there aren’t sure of your intentions and it might be causing things to slip through the cracks. So, I’m gonna place you on paid leave for two weeks while you try and get this sorted. Go and spend time with Rick and Lori. Let them both know that you’ll do whatever you have to in order to keep them both in your life. Then after you’ve cleared your head you can help with the investigation again”.

“Alright sir, I understand. I’m sorry for my behavior and I’ll make sure I apologize to the others on my way out” Shane replied as he went to rise from the chair.

“I’ll need your badge and gun, son. You know it’s standard operating procedure” Grady replied gruffly, looking upset at having to do it all the same.

“I understand sir” Shane gritted through is teeth, because even though he understood it didn’t mean he had to like it.

Walking through the station back to his desk he couldn’t meet anyone’s eyes as he passed. He slowly started picking the papers off the floor when Leon came over. Shane ground his teeth, waiting for whatever asinine thing Leon was going to say to come out of his mouth.

“Let me help you with that Shane. You know we understand. We know how much you’re hurting waiting for news on Rick and we’re here with you” Leon mumbled softly.

Shane was astonished to say the least at the words spoken to him by the guy that was known to keep the damn safety on his gun when faced with an altercation. Shane jerks his head in a semblance of a nod, still not able to talk around the anger in his throat that has started to turn into bile. After picking up the last of the papers he stands up and his eye catches on the picture frame sitting on Rick’s desk of the four of them out at a fourth of July picnic from a few years ago and he feels as though he’s been sucker punched. It’s time to talk to Lori and straighten things out once and for all, then they’re going to do whatever they have to and get Rick back home to the real people that love him. Shane gets up apologizes to the people still milling around trying to look busy and says he’ll seem them in a couple weeks and then stalks out, ready to confront Lori.

“Lori, open the damn door. Everybody already knows and you locking me out ain’t gonna stop the local gossips from wagging their tongues” Shane says evenly after knocking on the door and ringing the doorbell for a few minutes.

“Shane, I can’t have you here. I’m married and my husband needs me” Lori says as she opens the door.

“Lori, he needs both of us. If you don’t want to continue it’s fine. I don’t like it, but I understand. But you need to understand that man is like my damn brother and you’re not keeping me away from him” Shane replied.

“Well you’re scaring me, and Carl and I can’t have you around if that’s how you’re going to act. I don’t want Carl knowing about us. At least not until Rick wakes up and we can tell him, together” Lori replies softly, arms wrapped around her stomach.

“I’m gonna be taking some time off work. I’m sorry I’m scaring you guy’s but I’m trying to figure out how a ghost did this to Rick, because with every dead end we’ve run into that seems to be the only explanation for who might have done it. While I’m off I’m going to be going to some anger management courses and get some help. I don’t want to be this angry anymore but with all the changes that have happened in the last few months I can’t control my anger right now” Shane said meekly, knowing that he was only going to get one chance for Lori to listen to him.

“I know Shane, but I don’t know if I can be with you like that right now. Not with Rick lying in a coma. I didn’t tell you the other night, but Rick went and got power of attorney assigned to Daryl before he got shot. I think… I think he knew, about us before he got shot, and I can’t take the chance that he will take Carl away for good. I love you, I do but I need to make sure I can still see my son” Lori says, before she starts sobbing quietly into the hands covering her face.

Shane sees red upon hearing that the disgusting piece of shit has control over his best friend, his brother and tightens his hands into fists, feeling the rage mount higher and higher. It is only when he sees Lori watching him, physically flinching from the rage she sees, that Shane takes a deep breath and sighs, looking down at his feet.

“Alright, like I said I’m going to go and get some anger management, but I need you to promise me you’ll keep me posted on Rick’s condition. I know I haven’t acted like it lately, but I do love that man like a brother, and I want to see him survive. It wasn’t supposed to go down like this. We were going to sit down and tell him about us and find a way for us to still be a family and now…Now I just feel useless. I can’t help you, or Carl or Rick and I don’t know what to do. So, I’m going to leave for now but please just promise you’ll keep in touch” Shane says, almost ready to breakdown.

Finally, Lori nods faintly and whispers, “I promise”, so Shane nods once more before he turns around and walks out the front door. As soon as Shane gets home he starts looking into the classes offered in the area and sees there’s a meeting being held that very night in less than two hours. Looking at his watch, he nods and stands up making his way to the kitchen. He’s going to eat and then he’s going to go to the meeting and get the help he needs

_King’s County Georgia- Later that same night_

Shane’s eyelashes flutter as his head twists frantically, sweat dripping off him as he dreams of things that couldn’t be real. He dreams of Rick being shot but it happens on a car chase gone wrong, he dreams of Rick being in a coma and of the army coming and attacking the hospital. He dreams of the machines holding Rick’s fragile life in his hands die and not hearing a heartbeat. He dreams of gathering Lori and Carl and driving to the city and watching as napalm is delivered on the city killing tons of innocents. Then he sees tons of dead people, but they’re walking and attacking the living eating them. He sees himself lose control over and over again, sees himself killing a man in cold blood and saying it was for Carl but knowing it was because he was scared. He sees the way he resents Rick for coming back from the dead and he sees himself telling Rick that he has to die and planning on killing him. With a hoarse shout, Shane rips himself from the dream and hunches over the side of the bed where he throws up his dinner.

Sitting up on the bed, sheet loosely draped over his waist, Shane fights to control his breathing before a gut-wrenching sob makes its way up his throat. He moans in agony, unable to comprehend why his mind would conjure these images, why his mind would even have those horrible thought in them. Finally, he drags himself from the bed and into the bathroom throwing on the cold water and standing under it until his teeth are chattering. Wiping himself down he stands in front of the mirror and another image from his dream pops up of him shaving his head while trying to hide where some hair had been pulled out. He braces his hands on the sink and takes another deep breath.

“Ok man, it was just a dream. Ain’t no way anything like that would ever happen. No matter what you would never go after Rick like that. You’re just tired and stressed” Shane murmurs to himself, willing himself to believe the words but deep down not being able to.

After pulling on a clean pair of sweats and a t-shirt he goes into the living room and turns on the tv. Nothings on at this time of the morning expect informercials, and world news. While Shane gulps down a glass of water, still trying to gather his equilibrium, the buzzing of voices in the background becomes actual words.

“ _As stated, the CDC has advised that everyone stay home if possible as the outbreaks that they are seeing are becoming more and more widespread. Scientists are still struggling to find the root cause of the outbreak and are working on a vaccine. In most cases the people suffering from this illness show signs of fatigue, fever and most lose consciousness within days of contracting the illness. We have just received word that the first death caused by this mysterious illness had just been recorded in Las Angeles, California and they are going to be doing an autopsy on the body to try and help with identifying the root of the illness. Stay tuned as we bring you up to the minute coverage on what you can do to help lessen the spread”_ the screen turns blank for a moment before a commercial comes on and Shane is woken from his revery.

“Oh my God, I think it’s real” Shane mumbled and then he jolted with the sudden realization of what they were really doing on that farm. Those people knew what was coming and they were preparing. Shane glances at the clock on the wall and sees that it’s just nearing five am and decides he needs to get on the road. He has some people to talk to.


	16. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lori is given some hard truths. Shane has a heart to heart with some of the family. Andrea reveals who she suspects shot Rick.

_King’s County Georgia- same day 2 am_

Lori stood at the sink looking down at the two clear pink lines on the test sitting on the edge of the counter. Putting a hand to her mouth and the other just barely grazing her stomach, she didn’t know what to do. For months now she had not felt right, having vague dreams of horrible things happening but never seeing any true details. She remembers seeing names flashing across their caller id and messages left on their machine that she had erased. She didn’t know why the names sounded familiar, but she knew that Rick couldn’t be made aware of them trying to contact him. Then there was the day almost three months ago where she got the call from the station that Rick had been rushed to the hospital after his shift. She and Shane were just coming down from their orgasms and when she heard the news she was stunned. It was her fault Rick was hurt, if she hadn’t texted him to get milk so that she could get in a quickie with Shane then Rick wouldn’t have gotten shot.

She remembered stumbling from the bed, her hands numb as she fumbled to get dressed. At first Shane had tried to act insulted that she was rushing him to get dressed but then he must have seen how pale her face was and the tremors she couldn’t control. Suddenly he had been alert, eyes looking at her sharply barking at her to tell him what happened. She remembers seeing the color drain from his face when she told him what happened and how quickly he had moved after that. After rushing to the hospital, she was told that Rick was placed in a medically induced coma to help with the trauma of the shot. They kept trying to say how fortunate he was that no major organs had been hit and there was no shrapnel from the bullet, but it brought little peace to her. That night when she went to bed the nightmares came back with more details every night. Over and over she saw the horrible things that happened and was unable to stop them in her dream. Faces were still blurry, but voices were sharp and clear as were the situations unfolding.

Then came the day she met the farmer and his family and suddenly the people in her dream started getting replaced with the people she was meeting. They weren’t all present in her dream but what she got from the dreams were not good feelings. These people didn’t like her, they were tolerating her for Rick, for Carl and for the child she was carrying. She saw herself trying to run the women in the camp as though she had any idea of what they needed to be doing and saw the anger and resentment stirring in the other’s eyes. She saw herself pitting Rick against Shane, terrified that Rick would leave her defenseless with the new life that she was carrying. She saw how she tried to placate Shane and the madness that she started to stir in him. She saw her reunion with Rick after the fall of the farm and her anger that he had actually killed Shane. She saw the rift that was between her family as they moved forward, and neither was able to forgive the other. Then finally she saw herself birthing a child and having to give Carl a goodbye speech. Even with so many people unaccounted for from the farm in her dreams she had no option but to recognize that it wasn’t just a nightmare but something that was going to happen. After that she wasn’t able to be with Shane without feeling sick to her stomach. While she loved him, she was horrified at the rift she had brought between the friends and knew she needed to take a step back.

Then last week she started getting sick but thought nothing of it until she realized she was overdue for her period by three weeks. She tried over and over to convince herself that it must be something else but finally she had driven to a store three counties over with a baseball hat covering her hair and large sunglasses and bought a test. As soon as she got home though she shoved it under the sink unable to take the test. Then after that horrible night where she let out her anger and fear on the people who had only been trying to help her did Lori realize she needed to face the music. It still took her a few days to gather the courage and now here she sat, looking at the proof of her infidelity from her husband and realizing no matter there was no coming back to how it had been. Sinking to the floor and burying her face in her hands, she let the sobs overtake her body as she realized that she truly was in trouble.

_Senoia, Georgia-same day 7 am_

When Shane finally pulled into the driveway at the farm he was unsurprised to see two people at the top of the gate monitoring nor was he surprised when they used a radio to call someone instead of automatically opening the gates for him. He was left waiting for what felt like hours but was really only about twenty minutes when the gates started to lower. Before he could even think of moving his car forwards a hand put up from the man walking through the gates stopped him. He saw the redneck brothers off to the right and back of Hershel as he made his way to the vehicle and had to stop himself from grinding his teeth. Hershel came to the driver’s side window and waited for Shane to lower it before talking. Hershel seemed to take a hard look at him and gave a slow nod.

“I see you must have remembered and in remembering you know why I can’t allow you on my property” Hershel spoke softly to Shane.

“So, it’s true then? All of it? I did those horrible things?” Shane managed to gasp out, feeling bile rise to the back of his throat.

“It is and I can’t have you here right now. Some of these people never met you but they all saw what having to put you down did to Rick and his family. I can maybe meet with you and help fill in some blanks but for right now you can’t be here” Hershel replied somberly.

“I can’t come here but you let that redneck, trash assholes here. Merle is a racist, sexist pig that would sooner trade you for a gram of coke than have your back” Shane growled.

“I’m going to stop you there. Those two men are fine men. After Rick lost you, Daryl became his right- hand man, he never questioned that man’s loyalty like he had to yours. While Merle can still be called a pig he is trying, he saw what his brother became and wants to make sure that he is with him to the end this time. He came to us clean and sober with the willingness to earn trust back from the people he had wronged. I’m not sure yet if you can do the same and until I am you are not allowed here” Hershel replied, letting the anger he was feeling seep out into his voice.

Shane felt the rage build again but took deep breaths to help control it before he lashed out. He had to do this the right way. He couldn’t lose them again.

“I understand. I want you to know that I am trying. I already signed up for some anger management classes and went to my first meeting. I am sorry for everything I did, and I know I got a lot to atone for to these people so I will wait. I would like to speak with Daryl though if it’s possible before I leave today. Then maybe I can meet with you and start working on mending the bridges” Shane replied.

Hershel seemed to try and look into his soul before he gave a firm nod to Shane before turning and looking to Daryl and beckoning him forward. Shane watched as the younger Dixon warily approached the vehicle, obviously wanting to concede to Hershel’s wishes but wondering what was going to come. Finally, the man stood next to Hershel, looking down and chewing on the corner of his lower lip, crossbow held loosely in his right hand, which Shane just noticed, was loaded.

“I need to tell you I understand what I got to do and why I got to do it in order to be allowed in here. I’m gonna start with an apology not only for my past actions but the words I just said about you and your brother that you didn’t hear. I need you to understand that my anger I took out on you was because I couldn’t take it out on myself last time. I saw how Rick started to rely on you and got pissed that he didn’t rely on me anymore. But that was my fault. This time will be different. I’m not sure what’s going to happen with me and Lori or Lori and Rick, but I will be there for him again. I realize that if he remembers than I won’t hold the same place, but I need to be a part of his life” Shane rushed out in a single breath.

Daryl glanced at him then Shane saw him look questioningly at Hershel before drawing himself up straight.

“Ain’t no doubt he ‘members. Obviously, Queenie didn’t tell you what the ‘rgument was ‘bout the other night. Rick put me down as his power of attorney. That man ain’t goin’ nowhere and with no one he don’ want ta. Losing you was a hard thing for Rick to come ta grips with and I won’ have ya yankin’ him ‘round again. He took a lot of hard hits and we need him to help us so we’s can have a future. If the old man says that he’ll give you a chance the others will try too, but just know we all saw how it changed Rick and won’t let it happen again. If you do come here ya need to know now that we’s got ourselves a council. We all make the decisions and vote on it, but Rick is the leader. Not saying you can’t earn yerself a seat but you’se gonna be on probation, just like Merle was. I ain’t letting anyone hurt this family again so long’s I got breath in me. You understand?” Daryl asks, never raising his voice and looking steadily into Shane’s eyes.

Seeing the younger Dixon like this, he knows that a lot had changed to make the man able to act like he is. He wasn’t sure what had happened to these people last time, but he knew if he wanted to survive that he needed to be with them.

Nodding slowly, Shane made sure to look into Daryl’s eyes and let him see the truth shining out of them as he says, “I understand”.

“Alright then. If you want I can meet you at the diner in town and we can start talking. We don’t have long so even if we let you come in soon your still going to be watched. Do you know if Lori remembers?”

“I don’t think she does, but honestly we’re taking a breather right now. Again, I’m not sure where that will go but I know that we have to keep her safe, at least for Carl’s sake” Shane replies.

He notices the quick glance that Hershel and Daryl exchange and narrows his eyes.

“There something I need to know about?” Shane grits out, trying to keep his temper in control.

“Carl remembers. He remembers everything and he told us about you and Lori. There are some things that we have to keep a secret, at least for now. We aren’t trying to get you upset but some things we’re going to need better trust for before we answer all your questions” Hershel replies calmly and evenly, even with his brow quirked at Shane’s show of anger.

Inhaling a deep breath again and counting to ten, Shane slowly releases the breath as he counts back down from ten to zero letting his shoulders gradually ease down from the tension they were holding. Looking to the hunter and farmer again he sees the slight appraisal in both their eyes as they look at him and both seem to nod at the same time.

“Alright. Just tell me when and where to meet you and I will” Shane replies.

_The farm porch- later that morning_

“So, Blondie, ya doin’ ok?” come the gravelly voice of Merle from behind her.

Andrea turns to look at the man that had just stepped on the porch. It had been hectic yesterday, getting everyone settled and trying to answer everyone’s questions. She hadn’t even had time to bring up her suspicions yet but was too busy marveling at the changes that had been brought to her group. She had seen Merle yesterday morning, playing with Carl and helping out in the butcher’s area. Watched as he had grinned and joked around with the young Latin boys that seemed to hang off his every word. She knew that the people had changed but had not been expecting it from Merle, though she does remember the true empathy he had shown to her at the loss of her sister. Seeing that he was still patiently awaiting her answer she moves over and pats the porch next to her in invitation for him to take a seat.

“Yeah, I’m ok. Just a lot to take in, all the changes. I mean I knew it would be safer having us here with the group from the beginning, but actually seeing all the preparations are a little overwhelming” Andrea replies softly, still looking out to the field where she had been left all that time ago.

“I know can’t be easy, havin’ to come back here. See where you’se was left last time. I talked to Daryl ‘bout it ya know? While we was working on getting’ everythin’ prepared. Said he wanted to come back for you right away when he realized ya weren’t there but there was no time cause a how big the herd was. After that there was too much goin’ on and some o’ the people lost their faith in old Officer Friendly, so he’s felt like he had to stay and watch his back. He tol’ me ‘bout them findin’ ya when they went back and how much he hurt knowin’ that ya didn’ think ya were missed” Merle replies softly, arm raised as though to put around her.

Andrea pauses for a moment before she takes the invitation and leans into him. She remembers seeing the look in his eyes when he had told her about his suicidal thoughts, about the love she had heard and seen that he held for Daryl and how much she ached that this was not the man they had from the start last time around.

“You know. Last time when you told me about them finding you and about what you were thinking of doing I almost told you about what I did. Last time, after losing Amy we went to the CDC. Rick wanted to get answers and Jim had been bit in an attack on the camp, so we were gonna try and get him there. Well while we were there the power was going down and the place was going to go up and honestly I thought about staying there so I could see my family again. But Daryl, he fought. He wasn’t going to let our choices get taken away from us. At first I was angry, and I let that anger blind me and it had me making some really messed up decisions” Andrea huffs a laugh at the end, thinking back to everything she had done last time.

“Yeah, Daryl tol’ me ‘bout you and Shane. Was wonderin’ why that jackass got a chance and I din’ but figure maybe wasn’ the right time for us” Merle replies with a squeeze of the arm around her shoulder and a boisterous laugh.

Andrea laughs with him, gently shoving into his side.

“Like I said last time, you called me a whore and a rug muncher. There was no way that anything would have happened after that” Andrea replies with a twinkling laugh.

When Merle’s only response is another tight squeeze and then dropping his arm, Andrea looks at him and sees the remorse on his face. She is stunned to silence when she realized that this man was so different from the man she had known before.

“You’se right. I been tryin’ to make amends with everyone, ya know. After I knew Daryl was alive I did some fucked up shit and just wound up losin’ him fer good. These people here, they’re good people, forgiven me for a lot o’ the shit I did, and I hope ya can forgive me too” Merle mutters, shame faced, unable to meet her eyes.

“You know what honeybuns; I think I’d like to get to know this new you” Andrea says with a small laugh and nudge to the shoulder.

Merle’s eyes snap to here and then his eyes crinkle as he smiles, remembering that as one of the nicknames he used on her. Looking into his face Andrea realizes just how handsome he is, without the sweat and dirt as well as the sneer plastered across his face. Sees how healthy he actually looks with clear eyes and a happy smile on his face. Maybe there was more to the man than she thought. Before she can ask him another question she hears the porch door open again and see’s Hershel and Daryl dressed as though ready to go somewhere.

“Well, Darlyinna where you off to all dressed up?” Merle asks with a smirk on his face that cause all three of the others present to roll their eyes at him.

“Ya know damn well me and Hershel gotta go an’ meet Walsh. Gotta make sure he ain’t gonna go crazy ‘gain and will be safe knowing where we all are for right now” Daryl replies, impatience in his voice.

Andrea perks up at hearing the men’s plans. She wonders if now is the time to voice her concerns but instead asks, “would it be alright if I went with you?” which causes Merle to look at her sharply.

“Relax big guy. I’m not going there again, but I do think that Daryl needs some back up besides Hershel and who better than the one who put him in charge in Rick’s stead” Andrea says while rolling her eyes. “I still think you and I have some unfinished business we can discuss later” she says, with a smile and wink in his direction and is amazed at the blush she sees climb the man’s face.

“Alright but we need to go now. Siddiq is gonna come out here later and take ‘nother look at Rick and I promised Carl I’d be here since he’s at school” Daryl says.

“Aww shucks little brother. Ya know it ain’t the little rug rat yer doin’ it fer. We all know you ain’t lettin’ no one look at yer man without ya there” Merle cackles, watching the blush that spreads up his brother’s neck and into his face.

Andrea pauses, taking a closer look at the younger Dixon and realizing, maybe, just maybe, Rick won’t have as hard a time getting the man into a relationship as he thinks.

“Shaddup, would ya? Ain’ no call fer ya blabbin’ my business out fer everyone to hear? Daryl says with a snarl in his voice.

“Now son, we all know, and we all support you. I think you’ll be surprised at how Rick will react when he wakes up. Your brother is just showing that he cares about you and isn’t bothered by your relationship” Hershel says with a kind smile and a pat on the shoulder.

Andrea notices the tension relaxing a little in Daryl’s posture and is amazed. One of the things she had remembered was his aversion to touch the last time, seeing him now, not only with Hershel but the way he interacted with so many of the others make Andrea question once again what they had all been through since she had died. Maybe later today she would try and corner Carol and talk to her, while they had never been the best of friends, especially after Sophia was lost to them, they still did have a slight comraderie.

Merle stands and bows a little offering Andrea his hand to help her stand. Andrea is once again amazed at the changes of the man in front of her as she accepts and brushes off her backside.

“Give me five minutes and I’ll be ready. Gotta look professional for this meeting” Andrea says before scuttling off the porch and going to get changed.

“What the hell you think yer doin’?” Daryl growls at his brother as Hershel walks to the old Bronco in the driveway.

“I’m making amends little brother. I think me and her could have something and if you get to then I should too” Merle replies with a small smile.

Daryl looks sharply to Merle, trying to see what the other man’s intentions are and is surprised to see no ulterior motive present in his face, just a wide smile and bright, clear eyes.

“Alright, let’s get this show on the road” Andrea says as she bustles her way out onto the front porch.

“You and me, we’re gonna talk later. Ya hear me” Daryl says with a jab towards his brother and is rewarded with a serious expression and a nod. With a nod in return Daryl turns on his heel and follows the blonde firecracker down to the truck, just wishing this meeting were already over and he were back with Rick again.

_Kings County Georgia-later that afternoon_

After trying to get ahold of Shane all morning Lori finally decided that he must have taken her seriously about needing a break from each other and was avoiding her calls. Wandering around the house while awaiting Carl’s arrival from school, Lori decides to go into Rick’s office. She doesn’t go in here often except to dust every few weeks, knowing that Rick sometimes has information on open cases that he can’t share but figuring that anything he might have shouldn’t be active now anyways. Looking around she sighs seeing the dust on the furniture and realizes that she has been so busy she hasn’t even thought to keep the office clean and decides that she needs something to do with her nervous energy. Quickly she gathers the necessary supplies and starts on the bookshelves, every now and then stopping to admire the family pictures that are up. Finally, she reaches the desk and as she starts to organize the files on top, not really paying attention her hand hits the mouse and the desktop comes to life. There on the screen are pictures of her and Shane, in bed, obviously in the throes of passion. Startled she gasps and falls into the chair. She stares in horror at the screen realizing that Rick knew and hadn’t said anything.

“Even cheating on the man, he can’t talk to me. What the hell is wrong with him” Lori shrieks, enraged at the confirmation that Rick doesn’t care about their marriage anymore.

Narrowing her eyes, she notices that it’s a screenshot of an email pulled up on the computer and decides that she needs to know who sent it. Opening the email, she is pleased to see that Rick had autosaved all of the information and she was able to get right in. Looking through all the emails she sees numerous chains between him and that bitch Andrea, but there buried in between them all is a name that shocks her. Carl. Clicking on the email from Carl, Lori sees that it’s the same picture that had been open on the desktop. Gasping she falls back as tears come to her eyes. No wonder the boy didn’t want to stay with her and kept trying to go to the farm. He knew about her and Shane and told his dad about it. The front door slams against the wall and she hears footsteps hurrying towards her, headed towards his room. Carl pauses in the doorway and looks at her and Lori is shocked by the coldness she sees in his eyes.

“What are you doing mom? You know dad doesn’t like us in his office” Carl asks hotly, hands on hips.

“Don’t you take that tone of voice with me young man. If your father knew how you were talking to me…” Lori starts before Carl snorts and glares at her.

“Dad is too nice of a guy to do anything. You’d have better luck sicking your boyfriend on me” he says with a sneer.

“CARL!” Lori gasp, pushing herself up out of the chair and starting to round the desk.

“You know mom, I blamed him last time for losing you and we were never the same again. I watched as he took care of the baby you made with his best friend and how much he mourned the loss of you two. I told him, I told him, and he said he knew but that it wasn’t going to be like last time. He was going to let you and Shane be together and he was going to be with the person that made him happy. He didn’t want to hurt you or Shane this time. He was going to talk to you the next day while I was at school and then he never came home. It wasn’t supposed to happen this way….IT WASN’T” Carl screamed the last two words before collapsing to the ground, sobbing as though his heart were breaking.

Lori was frozen where she stood, arms barely able to keep her steady on her feet where she leaned on the desk. Hearing the words coming from Carl made her realize just how selfish she had been. Then the words about him being with who made him happy seemed to take root and she was pissed all over again.

“Who the hell was he going to be with, huh? That bitch Andrea come back and weasel her way into his bed? Is that why he went to her, to get away from me?” Lori shrieked, upset with herself and upset that Rick would move on with someone else.

Lori is stunned when she sees the rage and disgust that gleams from Carl’s eyes when he looks at her. This isn’t her little boy.

“No, it wasn’t Andrea and she’s not a bitch. We lost Andrea to a man that wanted to take the prison from us. I’m not going to tell you the person’s name, but you need to understand Dad needs you to stay with us and have the baby. I didn’t agree with him, but he said they have to be with us and that he forgives you. So, you need to get off your high horse and stop trying to push those people away. Those people helped us to _survive_ last time. If it weren’t for some of them we never would have made it as long as we did” Carl says, venom in his voice.

“Don’t use that language” is the only thing Lori can think to say, trying to understand everything she was just told.

Carl rolls his eyes before turning and walking out the door towards his room.

“I’m not done talking to you” Lori tries to grab his arm and is stunned by the force with which he pulls his arm away.

“I need to have a minute. Call Shane, I think it’s time we all have a little talk” Carl says before slamming his bedroom door.

Lori slowly slides down the wall outside the office, face turned to where her son had just been and wonders what’ll she do now.

_Senoia, Georgia-earlier that day_

Sitting at the table, Shane looked out the window waiting for the men he was meeting to show up. He feels his phone buzz again and doesn’t even bother looking at it, knowing it’s Lori calling again. He knows that he has to talk to her but until he has some answers he just can’t yet. Finally, Shane sees the old Bronco pull up and is surprised when not only Daryl and Hershel get out but also Andrea. As the three walks towards the table he’s sitting at, he can’t help but to look down at the table shamefaced remembering using Andrea last time.

“Hello Shane. I’m here to represent Rick as his attorney and to make sure that his wishes are upheld” Andrea says coolly before slipping into the chair across from him. Hershel sits to his left and Daryl to his right and he can’t help but notice how warily the hunter is looking at his surroundings.

“It’s ok man. Ain’t the end of world yet. No walkers gonna come at you yet” Shane says trying to lighten the tension.

“Ain’t just the walkers you got ta look out fer. People are worse than them. At least walkers I understand, they’s just driven by instinct, ain’t like people that are known for deception” the hunter replies through gritted teeth, still looking around.

Shane makes himself take a deep breath. He knows that he had done a lot of messed up shit, but it sounds like his shit wasn’t the worst those people had to live through. As he goes to open his mouth and reply he is surprised when the hunter instead mutters, ‘sorry, didn’t mean that the way it sounded there’s just a lot that happened, after’.

Shane looks to Hershel and Andrea and gets grim nods from both of them but before he can ask for more information the server comes to the table.

“Hi ya’ll can I get you started with some coffee Mr. Greene?” the young lady who’s name tag reads Melinda asks.

“That would be wonderful. We’re not sure on food yet but please just bring the pot and leave it on the table for now” Hershel replies with a sad smile in her direction.

After the waitress drops off the coffee everyone takes a moment to fix their cups and then look around the table awkwardly, no one sure on who should start. Finally, Andrea clears her throat and looks to Hershel and Daryl as though asking for permission and after receiving a nod from both she straightens her back and turns to look at Shane.

“I’m assuming with the way that you came to the farm so early this morning and the way you look that you remembered. I’ll try to answer as many questions as I can but honestly I didn’t last too much longer than you did” Andrea murmurs.

“Can I ask what happened to you?” Shane asked surprised to hear of her demise.

“We’ll get to that. First thing I need you to know is that Rick remembers everything, and he also knows about you and Lori. He wouldn’t reveal how exactly he knew but I have a feeling that Carl knows and that’s why he’s been acting the way he has with you. Now he doesn’t necessarily want to lose you both, but he is adamant that he won’t lose Carl. Now Daryl here became his second in command and is the one Rick wanted charged with his care, said he was the only one that wouldn’t have ulterior motives” Andrea says though she rolls her eyes a little at the last sentence.

The snort from both Hershel and Daryl are almost in unison and then the two look at each other and Shane is amazed to see a small smile break across the hunter’s face.

“That man knows I’d do anything to protect him and his family, told the man once I’d follow him anywhere, even ta hell. Don’t know why he felt the need to make it all legal” Daryl says around a small smirk.

Upon hearing the confession from the hunter Shane leans back and really takes a closer look at the man, trying to see what Rick saw in him that gave him that type of faith. He can’t tell what it is because the man still looks like trailer trash, but Shane knows he needs to keep that to himself and try or he will lose Rick and Carl.

“I don’t think that’s the only thing the man would like to make legal” Andrea mutters under her breath, though it seems only Hershel and Daryl hear her which she is okay with.

“The man has a way of instilling loyalty like that. I’m sorry to say I couldn’t stick to it before, but I hope to be able to prove things will be different this time” Shane replies not able to meet anyone’s gaze.

Again, there is a snort from Daryl and the glare that he throws Shane’s way is so intense he’s glad that it wasn’t a physical blow or it likely would have knocked him out. Shane watches as the man starts picking at the cuticle on his thumb with his teeth, worrying it over and over again until blood beads up. Shane is unsure on how to steer the conversation, but it seems he doesn’t need to as Andrea speaks up.

“So, the thing is that Rick needs to stay where he is and be surrounded by his family”, she raises her hand as Shane opens his mouth ready to retort he is family.

“I’m not trying to say you’re not a part of his family, but we have to understand that those people formed tight bonds. I have only heard parts of what happened after my death and I’m still horrified. Daryl is right though, it’s the people that we have to watch out for. I was looking into finding some of the others for Rick when the shooting happened. At first I thought it was you but then you were cleared. Well yesterday a name came up on the list I have set to alert me if anyone looks for Rick and the name blew me away. I’m saying this in confidence here and away from the others because I need some help finding out if and why this person was responsible” Andrea says looking between Shane and Daryl.

Shane understands then that it must be someone that they both knew, someone from the quarry since the people on the farm were all accounted for. Looking to Daryl he sees the way the man’s eyes are squinted and the way that he is searching his memory when suddenly he seems to jolt in his seat and stare at Andrea with a tight jaw.

“We found him later while we was clearing a building. There was a lil’ girl and Rick was waiting to get to her, and he started spoutin’ off. Seems he blamed Rick cause he left us and lost his family. He had gotten on with a group a assholes that we was starting a war with and seems they brainwashed him into thinking their way. I put a bolt in ‘is head ‘fore he could a bullet in Ricks though” Daryl mutters darkly though he seems to also look regretful at the loss of the man.

Shane takes a deep breath and sits back. He sees it now. Sees what Rick saw in Daryl. The man sitting across from his was unafraid to do the job needing to be done but it didn’t mean that he liked the results. Shane saw the sadness in the other man’s eyes and was amazed to realize that this man, Daryl, was a better man than him. Last time, even though he tried to tell himself he was doing everything to protect Lori and Carl, he was amped up to be the one in charge, he liked knowing that the people looked to him to lead them and that no one would question his decisions.

Then Rick came back and just like always, his quiet calm demeanor made everybody turn to him for answers and Shane was left with nothing. Looking to Daryl he sees the man doesn’t want to lead but wants to support the group, and if that means stepping up then he will. Nodding his head slightly Shane finally releases all is resentment and anger to the man leans back ready to hear the rest of the story. He is startled when the hunter looks him straight and the eye and seems to look into his very soul. He watches as the man quickly seems to conclude something with a nod of the head and a grunt.

“Alright, so then Daryl knows, and I will tell you now. It was Morales. It seems he came out to King’s County about a month before Rick got shot and started to learn his routine. I was able to get an eyewitness to step forward that said she saw Rick talking with a man in the mouth of the alley before he followed him down. She didn’t think anything of it because it seemed to be such a calm discussion. She told me that she hadn’t even put the two events together after hearing about the shooting because Rick had a jacket on over his uniform, so she didn’t know it was a cop she had seen. By the time she realized it no one seemed to take her seriously” Andrea says calmly while looking around the table, meeting each man’s eyes steadily.

“Now hold on, why wasn’t I made aware of this witness” Shane spits out, leaning over the table and looking at Andrea.

Shane is shocked when Daryl moves faster than he expected and pulls his shirt collar, making him thump back against his chair. Looking over he sees the anger in Daryl’s eyes and the tension in his arm from holding him back. He watches as the hunter takes a deep breath and then releases him, shaking his head and looking down. Looking over to Hershel he sees the man waving away their waitress with a smile and a nod. Looking to Andrea he sees how white her face is and that suddenly all the anger and tension deflates out of him like a balloon and he sinks down in the chair with his head in his hands.

“Shit. I’m sorry. I know we’re on the same team, but I have been digging for months trying to find out who did this and hearing there was a witness that didn’t step forward made me see red. I didn’t mean to scare you and Daryl”, he pauses here waiting for the hunter to look at him. “Thank you for stopping me. I don’t like to think I would hurt Andrea but obviously I scared her. I should know better, especially after just remembering what I have that our people are going to be more easily startled”.

Daryl looks at him and gives a tight nod before turning to look at Andrea and Shane can see the concern in his eyes. He gives her a light pat on her hand, and she seems just as startled by the contact as Shane is, so this must have been a later development, this less aversion to physical contact. Shane sees Daryl draw a deep breath before looking to Andrea and nodding for her to continue.

“As I was saying, the witness didn’t even know she had witnessed anything and hasn’t made it official yet. I overheard her talking to a friend at the store when I was staying near Rick’s place, trying to do some digging and heard her say how a deputy Leon had taken her statement but didn’t seem too interested so she had filed it away as no big deal until I showed her a picture of Morales and she said that was one of the men. When I told her that the other man was actually Rick she seemed sick to her stomach. She’s to meet with the Sheriff in a few days to make an official statement”.

“Fucking Leon. Man has no right being a cop. You know Rick was always having to tell him to take the safety off his damn firearm. Rick was always trying to give everyone a second chance” … Shane is startled by the loud snort given by Daryl.

“Yeah, we know. Les just say he weren’t the same there for a while. Man were more likely ta shoot ya then shake yer hand” Daryl says with a small frown on his face and haunted eyes.

Shane pauses again realizing just how much seems to lie beneath the surface with the younger Dixon. The man seems to be made up of varying degrees of contradictions that change quicker than the mind can keep up with. As though the hunter knows what he’s thinking, he throws a smirk in Shane’s direction before looking back to Andrea for her to continue.

“As I was saying she wants to talk to the Sheriff and let him know what she saw. I think it would be a good thing for you to be there Shane, if you can control your temper” Andrea says with an arched brow. “It’s important to let you know that Morales was still in the area up until we moved Rick and as of now he’s trying to get information on the farm. I think he wants to try and attack again and is trying to figure out a way to get on the farm”.

“Well that ain’t happenin’. I will put a bolt between his eyes again before he ever lays eyes on Rick again. I think we need to keep Carl out on the farm from now on and see ‘bout gettin’ Lori too. He’ll know that he can use them to try and get ta Rick, so we need ta make sure that ain’t a possibility” Daryl says, while looking at Hershel and then towards the others.

“It won’t come to that son, I promise you. We’ll all keep them safe, together, like we’re meant to”. Hershel replies before turning to Shane. “You’re still on probation but it’s safe to say we’re going to need you on the farm now. Just know that those people _are_ Rick’s family, and they will do whatever it takes to keep our leader safe”.

Shane shakes his head and looks at the others at the table before gathering a large breath and then letting it whoosh out.

“Guess I can’t avoid the calls no more. Time to tell Lori we have to talk”.


	17. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some more backstories of people on the farm are revealed. Shane and Daryl come to a small truce and work on bringing the rest of the Grimes' family to the farm. Maggie and Shawn have a little talk.

_Senoia, Georgia-the next morning_

Abraham takes a deep breath and slowly pushes himself into a seated position in his sleeping bag. He sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose and trying to relieve the headache that was induced from the nightmare. Four months ago, he woke up with the name of his wife and kids on his lips and the vision of their torn apart bodies behind his eyelids and wasn’t sure what he was going to find when he walked out of the bedroom. Getting to the kitchen his wife was standing at the stove stirring something that smelled wonderful and the kids were sitting at the table chatting away with her. As soon as his presence was known though he saw the tension bleed into her shoulders and the wary looks the kids threw his way and he knew that he wasn’t going to be able to save them this time either.

He remembers with heartache the kids leaving without even a look thrown his way and how her shoulders seemed to wind up even higher. He walked into his office and sat in his chair and pulled the papers out of the drawer he had thrown in there weeks ago. Sighing, he picked up the pen and started signing away. There is a knock at the door, but it doesn’t open as she knows that he hates people just walking in. He signed on the final line and took a deep breath.

“Come in” he said trying not to shout as to scare her.

She stood at the doorway and her eyes were arrested on the papers he was just folding to place in the envelope.

“I’m going to get my stuff together today and see about finding a place to stay. I’d like to at least come back this evening so we can tell the kids together, then I’ll be out of your hair” Abraham said tiredly.

“I didn’t want it to come to this”, she said softly, “but they deserve to feel safe in their own home”

“I know. I’m not gonna fight you on it. I just ask that you keep them and yourself safe. I can’t apologize for serving my country, but I can apologize for bringing it home with me. I love you all and just want you to feel safe and loved” Abraham replied.

Later that evening he sat with his family for the last time and then went to a hotel where he got rip roaring drunk. When he woke up to pounding on his door he growled before stalking, naked to the door and throwing it open. All it took was one look at the spitfire in front of him and he had deflated.

“Now pendejo, it took us three weeks to find your ass, but you and your family are coming with us” Rosita says, drilling her finger into his collarbone to get her point across.

Smiling he looks down and sees the spirited girl who he thought he had loved and lets out a booming laugh. Suddenly the laugh is cut off when he looks behind her and see Eugene and Gabriel. Glowering he turns and storms back into his room, the other three trailing behind him. Pulling on pants he turns and watches as Gabriel gently runs his hand down her arm, gently squeezing her hand and then stepping back.

“Well I’ll be damned, guess some of you finally grew some balls after that asshole made my head a pinata” Abraham booms, fists clenched at his sides, watching as the others wince.

Rosita takes a deep breath and steps forward.

“You have no right to get angry that I moved on. It took awhile but I did find happiness with Gabe and I won’t apologize for it. Just like you didn’t apologize. But that doesn’t matter because we’re a family and we stick together. I remember talking with Maggie and her talking about her farm and that’s where we’re headed to. We want you and your family to come with us so we can all be together” Rosita replies, calmly.

“Well it’s just me this time too. I let them go and just hope they’ll stay safe this time since they ain’t running from me. I guess you all will need some sort of leader, at least until we get Rick” Abraham replies gruffly, looking down at his feet.

“If I may interrupt. We will be going to the farm that Rosita speaks of but first we will be going to the hospital where Rick is in a coma” Eugene states, flatly.

“MOTHERDICK” Abraham shouts, turning a punching a hole in the wall next to him.

“We know where he is Abraham, and we know where the farm is. We will find them all and we will make it this time” Rosita says.

Only then does Abraham comprehend that if they’re here and remember then they must have died too. Whipping around he looks at each one and they each nod, confirming his thoughts. Before he can open his mouth to ask how, Gabriel steps forward and Abraham notices he is still wearing his collar which makes him snort.

“I know what you’re thinking and we can talk of it later. Right now our first mission must be getting to our family and making sure that our leader is okay” Gabriel says, palms raised beseechingly.

With that Abraham had thrust himself into action and was packed and they were on the road within the hour. Many hours later, watching as the sign declared them leaving Texas, Abraham is startled to feel a hand squeeze his shoulder and even more so when he realizes it’s Eugene.

“I obviously was not the best of friend last time, but I want you to know that I will make sure we all survive this time. I’ll tell you all about the training I went through, and you can laugh your ass of about all the mistakes I made” Eugene says.

Abraham cracks a small smile and looks him in the eye, “I’m looking forward to it”.

Abe is brought to the present by the sounds of other tents being opened nearby. Getting up, he puts on a new shirt and gets ready for a new day. Stepping outside of the tent, he is unsurprised to find everybody headed towards the picnic tables to the side of the house for breakfast and briefing. He smiles a little thinking about how well they are all working together already. Reaching the breakfast buffet, Abe grabs a plate and smiles at Hershel’s wife Annette, murmuring ‘good morning’ and ‘thank you’.

Turning he looks around and sees Sasha with Bob, laughing at whatever Tyreese has just told the group at the table. With a twinge Abe looks around a little more and see Tara and Denise raise their mugs to him and he walks over to talk to sit with them. He glances over to the other tables as he walks and shares a quick nod with Glenn before finally reaching his destination and taking a seat. When he had heard what had happened to Glenn after him, he had broken down and cried like he hadn’t let himself for a long time. Hearing that the man who had saved so many and was ready to have a child had been murdered by the same asshole as himself had broken his heart. He had yet to hear everyone’s stories but piece by piece he had begun to realize that they had finally won against Negan only to face a worse enemy.

“Morning” Tara says, holding her fist out for her customary fist bump.

“Yo” he replies tapping knuckles with her before digging into his plate.

“So, looks like Daryl and Hershel are going to be leaving the farm for the day again. Seems _Shane_ has remembered and wants in on Rick’s care” Tara sneers the other man’s name, not letting her disgust be hidden.

“Well Bitch nuts. Looks like I might get my Christmas present early” Abraham replies cracking his knuckles and grinning evilly.

“Well now, looks like I might have finally found a man that has balls as big as I do” comes the cackle of Merle Dixon as he saunters over, Sophia clinging to his jeans leg.

That had been a surprise to Abraham, seeing the man that so many had been afraid or disgusted with being sure to help wherever needed. The day that he saw Sophia following him and asking question after question, Abe had been concerned until he saw the mans face. He had a small smile on his face and was watching the little girl with what looked like love and pride. He had watched as the man lifted the little girl into his arms and squeezed her tight making her giggle. But the biggest shock had been when he had watched the older man hold his brother and talk to him in soft murmurs whenever he came out of the room Rick was in.

“Well I don’t know if there as big but they sure are full of piss and vinegar and ready to put that man in is place. I know I never met him, but I know what happened and how it changed Rick. We won’t let that happen this time”.

“We know fer sure that ain’t happenin’ again cause my brother will kill him this time if it does and I’ll be right there helpin’. Me an’ Rick got some things ta talk ‘bout but you can be damn sure that I’m team Rick all the way. My brother,” he pauses, jaw clenching, “my brother he can’t lose him again. It would kill him this time”.

Abraham nods and squeezes Merle’s shoulder and the other man tenses before nodding and getting his attention pulled away by Sophia asking a question. He’s not sure where exactly his place is here but he knows that these people are his new family and it’s time to look forward, not back.

Sasha aches a little seeing the look that Abe had sent her way. She knows that the man is hurting. He’s lost his family again and now he seems so alone. Rosita has moved on, Eugene has come into his own, and Sasha has her brother and Bob back. Glancing down she pulls herself back into the conversation and smiles at Bob when he wraps his arm around her and gives her a squeeze.

Tyreese looks at her with concern, knowing that she is worried about something. She gives a slight shake of her head, letting him know they can talk about it later. Looking at Bob she smiles, while she does love Abe she can’t ignore the pull she has with Bob. Abe had helped her while she was still mourning and would always have a special place in her heart but Bob, Bob was her future.

Tyreese looks at his sister and worries. He knows that she had a hard time last time. Losing first Bob then him. He and Carol had sat and talked for hours, airing everything out and becoming close. When she described what had happened to Sasha his heart had broken. He knows that not many see how strongly she feels and how hard she cares. He hopes this time she gets everything she deserves.

_Kings County, Georgia- same day_

Daryl sat in the passenger seat, shoulders tense, eyes scanning as Shane sat in the driver’s seat, heading the convoy of vehicles to Rick’s house. It had been decided to bring one of the trailers and two big trucks with them to clear out what they could from the house. Daryl knew that Carl wouldn’t care about leaving some things behind, but he was determined to let the boy have a little bit of his childhood around for longer this time. When they had decided to leave that morning Andrea had been surprised when Daryl said he would ride with Shane but Hershel had looked at him for a moment and nodded his head, he knew that the two men needed to come to some sort of understanding and he knew that Daryl wouldn’t start anything on the ride there. Thinking about all of the things that needed to be said was making Daryl’s head hurt so he sat up and decided to just start.

“I know you and I ain’t never gonna be friends, but you need to understand that Carl and Rick they became my family. After we left the farm there was a lot of shit went down and we lost a lot more people and then we were in a war with an asshole that wanted what we had. Merle was with ‘im and then he tried t make some things right and got ‘imself killed. There’s lots a other shit went on but what I’m tryin’ to say is I ain’t lettin’ no one take them away from me. Like you said that man believes in second chances and I’m gonna give ya one but don’t be thinkin’ I won’t be watchin’ ya” Daryl blurted, getting the words out as quickly as he could before the other man could butt in.

Shane took a deep breath and held it, counting to ten as he tightened his fingers around the steering wheel, then releasing it as he loosened his hold on the wheel. He knew that Daryl and he were going to butt heads, the way he had treated him last time was not going to be forgotten, but he realized after the conversation yesterday and just watching the man that he only cared about what was best for the Grime’s men.

“I know what happened last time isn’t just going to be forgotten. I’m not sure about what’s gonna happen when we get to the house, how I’m going to convince Lori to come but I know that ya’ll are right and we all need to be out at the farm where it’s safe. I’ll admit I’m a jealous asshole and I was pissed that Rick seemed to have the perfect life and I tried to take that from him. I’ll never be as good of a friend to him as he has been to me, but I hope that what Andrea said was right and me and him can still be friends. Lord knows the man has always been a better friend and a better man than I’ll ever hope to be” Shane replies letting his honesty be heard in his voice.

Daryl listened, hearing the truth ringing in the other mans voice before nodding and going back to observing the passing landscape. They had passed the sign for Kings County about fifteen minutes ago so he was sure they would be to the house soon. Before he could get too lost in his thoughts he heard Shane pull in a deep breath and knew that he wasn’t going to like what was about to come out of the man’s mouth.

“I need to know what happened after…After I had to be put down. I need to know what happened to Lori and you need to explain to me exactly what happened to Rick that made him the way you said he was towards the end” Shane said quietly, as though afraid to know the answers.

Daryl was right, he didn’t like what came out of the man’s mouth. He took a moment to fight down the anger and fear when he remembered the end. He thought long and hard and wasn’t sure what he should and shouldn’t tell the man. Just because Rick wanted to give him another chance didn’t mean that Daryl was going to trust the man with some information, like Judy, before he got to talk to Rick. It had taken a long time, but Rick had accepted Judith as his own and she was a big part of the group even later, especially after they lost Rick. Daryl wasn’t going to chance the man taking that away from all of them.

“There are some things I can tell you, but some has to wait ‘til Rick wakes up. And ‘fore ya get all bent outta shape, it’s cause the man is our leader and I ain’t gonna go behind his back and tell ya things he might not want ya knowin’. There were a lotta dark times later and some a that he needs to be able to keep ta himself if he wants. But no matter ‘cause now ain’t the time. I don’t care what we gotta do but both of them are coming back with us, I ain’t sure what Morales is thinkin’ and I ain’t takin’ no chances with them being left to fend for themselves” Daryl says.

Shane nods his head in acceptance but doesn’t reply because they are suddenly in front of the house and he’s not sure what’s going to happen just knows it ain’t going to be pretty. Looking to the man next to him he smirks a little and quirks his eyebrow.

“Ya ready?”

“Hell no but let’s do it anyways” Daryl replies before opening the door and getting out.

The front door opens and there stands Lori, a scowl already on her face but before she can say anything the door is opened wider and out sprints Carl, headed straight for Daryl. Shane watches upset as Carl launches himself at Daryl and sees the grin on his face when the man catches him and lifts him up. He knows now that Carl remembers last time and he realizes that he might never have the same honorary uncle relationship that he used to share with the boy. He watches as Andrea, Hershel and T-Dog climb out of the other vehicles and sees the fond smile that Hershel sends towards Daryl and Carl while both Andrea and T-Dog look a little dumbfounded. He knew that Andrea had died not long after him but it looks like T-Dog might not have made it much longer either the way he seemed surprised by the relationship between Carl and Daryl.

“What the hell are all these people doing here Shane? I told you I needed to speak with you privately, these people have no business being here,” Lori snarls as she comes stomping down the stairs.

Shane takes a deep breath and turns but before he can say anything he is surprised by the snort that he hears from behind him. Stopping he looks back expecting it to have come from Daryl and is surprised at the scowl and anger that are evident on Carl’s face.

“I told you mom, these people are family. They have every right to be here and it looks like they’re here to take us to the farm. I don’t care what goes on between you and Shane but we are going to the farm and will be there when dad wakes up. You owe him that much” Carl says coldly, his eyes like ships of ice as they stare down his mother.

This is not the boy that Shane knew. He has gotten used to the anger that the by had displayed towards him but is shocked at how he’s treating his mother. No matter what’s happening between Shane, Lori and Rick, Shane knows that Rick would never allow the boy to speak to his mother this way. Opening his mouth ready to say as much to the boy he is instead shocked to see Hershel step up and place his hand on the boys shoulder and look at him sternly with disappointment. Shane watches as the boy’s tension deflates and he hangs his head before looking to Daryl. When Shane looks he is surprised to see the same disappointment reflected on the hunter’s face. Looking back to Carl he sees the way that he reacts to the two men and decides to watch and see what happens.

“Ya ain’t got no call to be talkin’ ta yer mama that way. You know yer daddy would be damn disappointed in you if he heard what you just said. Ya best ‘pologize to ‘er and mean it” Daryl says sternly, not yelling, not raising his voice, just speaking calmly and steadily.

Shane looks to Lori and sees the shock on her face and something else, some emotion he can’t quite place but before he can try and figure it out Hershel steps forward.

“I know that you’re not happy to see us but Carl’s right, it’s time for you to come out to the farm and to safety. Andrea here is Rick’s lawyer and we just found out some news about Rick’s shooting we think you need to be aware of” Hershel states calmly while looking at Lori.

Lori looks to Shane sharply and he is again struck by the thought that something is different with her. She is looking at him as though she wonders if he had something to do with Rick’s shooting, even though she knows he was with her when it happened. Things start to add up and Shane realizes that Lori must be remembering too. He is jolted from his revelation by the snarl that appears on her face.

“We’re not going anywhere with you. I don’t care if this bitch is my husband’s lawyer, I’m still his wife and I’ll find a way to get him off that farm come hell or highwater” Lori says, while looking at Andrea with disgust.

Andrea rolls her eyes and looks to Hershel as to say _‘what now’_ before she shrugs and walks towards where Carl and Daryl are deep in conversation. Hershel looks at the two and seems to come to a decision before nodding and looking back at Lori.

“The reason we’re all out on the farm is that the end of the world is coming and we’re all trying to be prepared for it together. We lived through this once already and your husband was our leader and the head of the family. Rick was in a coma last time too, shot while on duty and still managed to make his way to find you and Carl and save so many of us. The man that shot your husband, he was a part of your early group last time and seems he blames Rick for things that were beyond his control. We don’t know where the man is right now and we need to get you and Carl to safety, it’s what Rick would want” Hershel says.

“Well if you know that redneck piece of trach shot my husband why is his brother here then” Lori snarls before the color drains from her face as she realizes what she has just revealed.

If she hadn’t remembered last time she wouldn’t know about the possible animosity between Merle and Rick, especially after seeing how the man was his brother’s cheerleader, telling him that Rick was gonna wake up any day. If she hadn’t remembered she wouldn’t know that there was any reason for Merle to want to shoot Rick and the realization sickens Shane, he wonders how long she’s remembered for because he knows some of these people have remembered for a lot longer than others. Before he can say anything though Andrea is the one who steps forward.

“I know me and you had our problems, but I can tell you right now this is not the way to go about trying to fix things. The man we believe shot Rick was Morales, not anybody else. There is strong evidence that the man blames Rick and is trying to prevent him from making it this time. Obviously you remember so I’m not going to treat you like you don’t so you need to know this is the way that you and Carl survive” Andrea says calmly.

Shane watches as Lori seems to absorb all the information that was just given to her and see’s one had at her mouth while the other goes protectively to her belly. Seeing that move, knowing what it means, cause Shane to blanche and sway. Snapping his head to Daryl he sees that the man had caught the same thing and is watching him warily, when his eyes meet Shane’s he gives a slow head dip in acknowledgement that Shane’s thoughts are on the right track before him lips tighten as though ready to fight with him. Shane holds up a hand and shakes his head slowly, feeling the bile that is trying to move its way up his throat. He knows that they need to have a talk, more now than ever, but this is not the time or place. He pushes down the emotions and locks them away before standing straight and looking towards Daryl and Carl again.

“I’m fine. We’ll talk about it later. Right now we need to get everything packed and get going. I talked to the Sheriff earlier and told him our suspicions and he agrees that we need to get them some place safe. So for now lets start packing and we can deal with the rest later” Shane says through a throat that feels as though it is full of gravel before he stares intently into Daryl’s eyes. “But you and me, we will have that talk later and I think it’s going to be about more than you originally wanted to tell me”.

Daryl nods his head wearily not looking happy in the least.

“Son of a bitch always got outta talkin’ bout the important shit” Daryl mutters, causing Shane, Hershel and Carl to break into unexpected laughter which makes the man huff before a tiny smirk appears on his face.

“Alright ya heard the man, let’s load it up and get on home” Daryl says before putting his arm around Carl’s shoulder and walking to the front porch where Lori seems to be frozen, making no move to bar the entrance.

Shane nods his head and heads to the house. There are a lot of conversations that need to be had but for now they need to get the house packed up and get going. He only hopes that Rick wakes up soon as he needs the levelheadedness of his best friend to get through the coming information that is sure to be pushed on him.

_The Farm-the same morning_

Shawn looked around at the tents dotting the farms landscape and sighs. He never imagined after waking up from the nightmare all those months ago what was in store for him and his family. When he had talked to them and found out that it was not a nightmare but a memory he had thought at first that the girls were trying to pull a prank on him but when his father agreed he knew that what they were saying was true. Still all these months later he would wake in a cold sweat, remembering the feeling of old Mr. Crowley ripping out his throat and the fear and pain that he had felt in those last moments of his life. When Glenn had shown up and Maggie had said he was her husband was when the truth of the family moving on really it him. He knew that his father and Beth had died before Maggie but seeing the easy relationship that Maggie shared with so many strangers made Shawn feel a disconnection from his family.

Watching as the others start getting ready for the day he is reminded that his dad and a few of the others had left to bring the family of the man in a coma out to stay at the farm. He hadn’t heard all the details, but his dad said they would be having a group meeting soon to get everyone up to date. Shawn didn’t mind the boy Carl but was unsure of the wife since she seemed to always be looking down her nose at everyone. The knock on his bedroom door shakes him from his introspection and he turns as Maggie pokes her head in the doorway.

“Hey. Mama said she needs for you to go to the barn and check on Nervous Nelly, seems she got spooked last night and got some abrasions on her flank that need to be looked at” Maggie says with a smile on her face.

“Alright, tell her I’ll be down in a few minutes, just got to change real quick” Shawn replies trying to smile back.

Maggie moves into the room, softly closing the door behind her and walking towards him with a look of concern on her face. Shawn knows that her, Beth and Dad have been worried about him lately as he has withdrawn with the influx of people arriving on the farm, but he is unsure on how to express his feelings right now. He had dreams of one day taking over the farm and settling down with his own family here and was devastated to realize that it would never happen. Shawn is startled when Maggie touches his arm and whispers his name, realizing that she must have been trying to get his attention for a few minutes. He smiles at her and pats her hand.

“I’m ok Mag’s, I promise. Just drifted for a second there” Shawn says with a smile, trying to reassure her.

“I know this is a lot for you and mama to come to terms with but it’s the best thing, for all of us. I think it’s important that you start talking to the others though. You need to get to know them since they are family even if it doesn’t feel like it right now. These people are just like us, they want to survive, and they want to help others to survive. I’m not trying to push, I promise but Shawn, it’s important that you really talk to these people” Maggie says while looking earnestly at him.

“I know Mag’s, it’s just hard. I mean, I don’t begrudge ya’ll for living a life after us, but I still feel as though we’ve been replaced” Shawn says with a sigh.

“I thought about you guys all the time, you and mama and then daddy and Beth when I lost them too. I’ll never know where your coming from, but I lost all of you and this was the only family that I had left. These people are good people and they just want to welcome you to the family as well” Maggie whispers, tears shimmering like emeralds in her eyes.

Shawn pull Maggie in for a tight hug and rubs her back. He knew that daddy and Beth hadn’t made it too far but hearing it from Maggie just now really drove home the point of how much she had actually lost. He realizes that he needs to stop being a baby and start getting to know the other people of the group. His mama had been talking to these people daily, accepting them into their home and making them feel welcome while Shawn had maybe come off as sullen and emotionally distant with his unwillingness to meet these people. Taking a deep breath he gently pushes Maggie away, while still holding lightly onto her upper arms.

“Ok, well maybe you can point out someone who would be willing to help me with Nervous Nelly and then we can start going around introducing me, ok?” Shawn says with a small smile on his face.

Maggie breaks into a bright grin and gives him a quick peck on the cheek.

“Well Jesus would probably be the best one to help with Nelly and then he can help me introduce you around. He was my right hand for some time you know?” Maggie says, with a mischievous trinkle in her eyes.

Shawn arches his brow at her and she laughs again nodding.

“His name is Paul, but his friends call him Jesus. Even daddy calls him that, though he said it was blasphemous at first. You’ll like him I promise, though I will warn you now he’s in a relationship with two of the other men here on the farm so you need to watch what you say” Maggie says with a jut of her chin.

“I ain’t homophobic Maggie. I had friends back at school that were gay and never had a problem with it. Though I am surprised daddy is ok with it” Shawn replies, feeling hurt that she would think so little of him.

“Daddy says that he reckons God would just be happy knowing that people were able to still love with everything that was happening. The man in the coma, Rick, when he wakes up I think he and Daryl are going to be together. Honestly, we thought they would have last time, but they were too stupid and then we lost Rick. Daryl was never the same after, he spent years searching for signs of Rick and was never able to find anything. I’m sorry it came out the way it did, but I needed to make sure you knew that we have to support all the relationships, even those that might seem odd” Maggie says with contrition in her voice.

“Alright, enough with the tears. Let’s go so I can meet your friend and take care of the horse. I promise, I’m going to make more of an effort with the group” Shawn says.

Maggie looks at him one last time before nodding and heading to the bedroom door and holding it open so that Shawn has to pass her. Shawn chuckles a little under his breath realizing that Maggie really had grown into a smart, observant, but bossy woman before walking through the house and towards the barn where the horse and friends await.


	18. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We find out some of Morales back story leading up to Rick's shooting. Also a surprise appearance at the end sparks hope for some of the family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First I would like to thank all of you have continued to follow along and enjoy the story. I thank you for all the kudos and great comments. Real life kicked my butt these last few months but the juices have started flowing again so hopefully it won't be so long in between updates. Thanks again and hope you all enjoy this chapter as much as the rest.

_Atlanta, Georgia- that same evening_

Morales sat in the chair hunched over, sweating and muttering to himself under his breath.

“It’s his fault she left. His fault she took the kids. She should have trusted me to keep her and the kids safe” Morales muttered, eyes vacantly staring at the ground.

When Morales had woken up six months ago to his children screaming and his wife thrashing in bed next to him he had no idea what was going on. After waking Miranda, the two parents had gone into Eliza’s room where she and Louis sat on her bed hugging each other and crying. When their parents had stumbled into the room the children had flown for their mother sobbing and shuddering. After finally calming the kids down they started talking about the horrible monsters and how much they had hurt being ripped apart. At first Morales had gotten angry wondering who was allowing his children to watch such violent shows but then after seeing the look in Miranda’s eyes he had paused. Finally, they had gotten the two tucked into bed and wandered back down to the kitchen to drink some coffee, both too wired to go back to sleep. It was while Morales was taking down two mugs that Miranda spoke up.

“We should have gone with Rick. We would have been safe with him” Miranda murmured, her eyes on her hands twisting each other at her waist.

Morales felt a jolt run through him at the name Rick and a flood of memories and emotions poured into his mind. In his anger he threw the mug in his right hand at the back door causing Miranda to startle and look at him wide eyed.

“That asshole got most everybody killed. Couldn’t even keep his wife alive. There’s no way he would have been able to keep us safe. No, we need to find Negan and join now so we can be in a higher rank and then make sure that asshole never takes control of another group” Morales spits out with venom in his voice and hatred in his eyes.

Miranda looks at her husband and realizes that it is a stranger staring back at her. The man that she loved would never have this amount of hatred running through him. Thinking quickly, she realizes that she has to get the kids and leave before her husband becomes even more unhinged.

“I’m sorry I just thought maybe if we had stayed or gone in a different direction, things would have been different” Miranda murmured which seemed to set Morales off even more as he spun in a quick arc out of the line he had been angrily pacing between the counter and the stove and scowled at her. Only after she spoke did she realize it would have sounded too harsh and judgmental and would set him off even more. Thinking quickly, she goes on, “but it was both of our decisions to go and try to find our family and I think that was the right choice, we just didn’t have enough training to make it through. This time we can get to them early and we can make sure that we all stay safe and alive” Miranda says while wrapping her arms around her husband hoping he doesn’t hear the tremble of fear in her voice or see the revulsion she feels for his attitude in her eyes.

Morales quickly calms and hugs Miranda back. Even as he tries to take comfort in her arms he starts to formulate a plan on how to win favor with Negan and keep his family safe. He decides that the best way to win favor would be to bring Rick’s head to Negan so that he knows that Morales is willing to do anything to keep his family safe.

Meanwhile Miranda decides that she needs to start getting ready to take the kids and run. She knows that she won’t be able to go to her family since that will be the first place that her husband will look but she also knows that she can’t go straight to Rick or they’ll be found, and she doesn’t know how her husband will react. All she knows is that the man in her arms isn’t the same man she was in love with before and that he won’t be able to keep them safe this time either.

Miranda spent weeks making plans and getting supplies ready so that they could leave while Morales was out of town on a trip. It had been difficult trying to act like a loving wife while inside she had come to both loathe and fear her husband’s new attitude and outlook on life. Morales spent hours in his office mumbling to himself and plotting different ways to get to Rick, his eyes getting more and more fevered by the day. One day while cleaning the office of the trash Miranda’s hand accidently brushed against the mouse activating the computer and displaying a horrifying plan on how her husband planned to kill Rick. With the knowledge that her husband was not going to come back to her she steeled herself to be ready to leave the next time that Morales was gone and was given her chance just a mere three days later.

When Morales came back from his trip a week later he was surprised to see a dark house but not worried, at least not until he walked into the house and could tell that it was empty. Going to the kids’ room first he isn’t surprised by the mess he sees as the kids are young and not the best at keeping tidy, it’s when he walks into his and Miranda’s room he finally realizes what has happened. The closet doors are wide open, her half noticeably missing clothes and hangers jutting up haphazardly from the rod. Looking around he sees that more and more items are missing, like the family bible. Items that she wouldn’t have taken if she was just taking the kids for a trip due to a family emergency.

Looking around in desolation he finally sees the paper lying on the bed with his wife’s neat handwriting. Lunging for the paper hoping to see he was wrong; he is instead devastated to read that Miranda has decided to take the kids and leave him. In the letter she goes on to say that she feels his vindictive outlook with be detrimental to the survival of their kids and that he won’t be able to protect them. She goes on to say that she won’t be contacting any family or friends and that he should go on without trying to find them. She tells him that she loves him but can’t trust him since he is not the same man that she married and knew.

Crumpling the paper, he howls in anguish and despair. Falling to the bed he cries over the loss of his family and the loss of his wife’s faith in him. Then anger grips him as he realizes that once again because of Rick Grimes his family has been placed in danger and this time he won’t be there to stop it. Sitting up and swiping at the tears on his face Morales decides that it’s time to do what he set out to do all those weeks ago and kill Rick Grimes. Maybe after the man is dead his wife will realize that she is safer with him than anyone else and come back. With that thought in mind he starts to finalize his plot for murder.

It had been easier than he expected following Rick around and learning his routine. The man was so friendly and helpful that no one thought twice about the man that was new to town asking questions about the sheriff’s deputy. He followed the man and tried to figure the best time to strike while he was alone. It was while he was watching the Grimes home to establish a better idea of the best time to strike that Morales was gifted with the knowledge that the man’s best friend and wife were carrying on an affair right under his nose and the dumb son of a bitch didn’t even know. He wasn’t sure how the knowledge would help, only that it would.

Finally, one-night Morales overheard a phone call Lori made to ask Rick to pick up some milk on the way home just as Shane’s cruiser pulled into the driveway and Morales decided it was time to strike. He got to the alley close to the store where he knew Rick liked to stop and waited for the man to appear. When Morales saw Rick start to cross the mouth of the alley he called out and asked the man to stop. Walking to the mouth of the alley Morales tried to lay it on thick about being new in town and that he just needed some help getting his stalled-out car started at the other end of the alley he hadn’t realized wasn’t an open alley. Rick walked beside him asking him questions and Morales started to relax a little thinking that he would be able to knock the man out before he knew what was happening but then Rick let his name slip and Morales knew that Rick remembered, and everything changed. Grabbing the butt of the pistol that was hidden in his pocket tighter he quickly drew and turned firing at Rick before he knew what was happening. Staring down at the man as he lay gasping, trying to reach out to him, Morales felt a tendril of fear and revulsion and spun around running to his vehicle, jumping in and peeling out of the alley.

When he had gotten to the room he rented he packed all of his belongings and quickly fled, telling the manager there had been a family emergency and he wouldn’t be staying the intended extra time. When Morales finally made it to Atlanta he found a dingy hotel that took cash and where the clerk didn’t seem to look too closely at who was renting the room and decided to hide out there. The following weeks were spent trying to find out any information he could on Rick and whether he had survived. When he got the news that the man had survived, and a large group of people had taken to visiting him he knew that there were others that remembered, and it sent him scrambling to come up with a new plan to make sure that he survived this time. When the news came that he was being moved to a private facility Morales roared in outrage realizing the opportunity to use Rick to secure his future was slipping through his fingers. Then came the news of the family being packed up and moved to the facility where Rick was being kept and Morales knew that he needed to find a way to get to the man before it was no longer possible.

When Morales had made it back into town to try and dig up information it turned out that people were still talking about the shooting. No one knew who had pulled the trigger, but some were speculating behind hands that maybe it was that Walsh boy since he always seemed to want what Rick had, including his wife, this being said with silent twitters. Morales decided that he would way and follow the family out to where Rick was and figure out a way to kill him then.

But when he had followed the family and seen the fortress that they were behind he realized that he wasn’t going to get to the man anytime soon and ran back to Atlanta hoping to come up with another plan. Unfortunately, Morales wasn’t as careful in finding his new accommodations as he had been previously and was unaware that even as he sat trying to formulate a plan that the desk clerk was calling the number the lawyer lady had left when she had dropped off the flyer with the man’s face on it earlier saying that there was a reward for anyone who turned him in. Maybe if he had known what was coming for him he would have run while he still had a chance.

_The Farm-the same evening_

Daryl looks at the man lying in the bed in front of him and feels tears of frustration burning in his eyes. Rick was looking better than he had when he first arrived at the farm as though he could feel the love and support the others were feeling as they waited for their leader to finally wake up. The gauntness on the other man’s face was slowly receding and the paleness had started to recede as well. Seeing the man in front of him he wonders just how he had made it as far as he had last time without the same support that he had on this go around. He knows that the man was stubborn last time, determined to find his child and wife. Daryl wonders if Rick knew that he and Carl were safe and that was why he was taking so long to wake up this time, knowing that he needs to have a better healed body than last time so that he can last longer. Taking a deep breath, Daryl slowly reaches out and grasps the hand closest to him.

  
“Alright man, it’s time for you to wake up now. We got your boy and Lori out here and we’re all waiting on you to wake up so we’s can finish getting ready. Ain’t ‘nough sleep in the world to make you beautiful so might ‘s well get up now” Daryl muttered while looking at Rick’s face,.

As Daryl sat there watching the Rick’s face hoping for a reaction he hears the door behind him slowly open. Looking over he sees his brother looking at him with concern and tries to wipe his face quickly before he can make fun of the tears in his eyes.

“Eh Darleena, ain’t no reason for yas to be blubberin all over the man. I’m sure he’d be more than happy for a sponge bath stead of the salty mess you got goin on there” Merle murmurs quietly, trying to give Daryl a moment to gather himself while also breaking the tension.

“Pshh. Ain’t blubberin man just got something in my eye. Anyways don’t think the man would take kindly to a man giving him a bath when theres plenty of pretty girls around” Daryl replies gruffly, trying to bluster his way through the uncomfortable topic.

“I don’t think that man would mind as long as was you doin’ the spongin’” Merle replies with a little chuckle.

"Ya jus’ come in ‘ere ta annoy me or ya got something actually important to say” Daryl replies, his patience growing thin. He doesn’t get to visit Rick much and is annoyed about the small amount of time he allows himself to visit being interrupted by his idiot brother.

“Nah man just wanted to check on ya. Let ya know I’s planning another trip tomorrow out with some of the boys so we can get some clippings of local plants. Maggie and Hershel are planning on growing some medicinal herbs that we can take on the road with us. Says there’s a whole buncha stuff that can help us down the line, so I thought I’d work on the boys a little more on tracking and what not” Merle replied.

Daryl huffed at what his brother was telling him and finally tore his gaze away from the man on the bed.

“I guess that’s yer way of askin if I can’t help ya then since ya ain’t that great at tracking nyways” Daryl mutters, knowing it’s his brother’s way of trying to get him out in the open where he feels more comfortable. Even though he did feel more comfortable out where there were no fences keeping him in he had been trying to stay on the farm as much as possible, hoping to be there when Rick finally woke up.

Before Daryl could do much more than place his hands on the arms of the chair to push himself up there was a knock on the door and it was opened quickly. Daryl startled and looked in the doorway to see a frazzled looking Andrea staring back at him.

“We’ve got him. I just got a call from a manager of one of the hotels I dropped off the fliers to. The man says Morales checked in about 20 minutes ago and looks a little high strung” Andrea stated breathlessly as she had run from the soap station full tilt to find Daryl.

Merle moved over to Andrea and wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulders and pulled her in close. He murmured in her ear too low for Daryl to hear the words, but he was surprised at the tenderness of the action as well as the way that Andrea seemed to automatically relax into Merle’s arms. Shaking off the surprise Daryl moved back towards the bed and gave Rick’s hand one last squeeze, bending down to whisper in his ear.

“It’s alright. We got him now and we’ll make sure he ain’t gonna getcha or anybody else ever again” Daryl murmurs in his ear, resisting the urge to give the man a light kiss.

Before he can straighten fully to look at the others in the room he surprised by a flutter of motion in his hand. Startled his eyes jump down to where Rick’s hand is now trying to get a good grip on him and then his eyes fly to Rick’s face where he sees the bright blue eyes looking at him and a slight smirk trying to break out.

“Well now I guess I must be in heaven if there’s such an angel looking out for me” rasps from Rick’s dry throat before he seized by a small coughing fit.

Before he can think better of it, Daryl lightly slaps his arm and then looks alarmed and ashamed of the automatic response. Before he can start to sputter out an apology he sees the smile that breaks out on Rick’s face and fells the heat of a blush working up his neck and into his face. Looking down Daryl once again wishes for the longer hair to help shield him since now the man is awake he’s not sure what to say first, but that’s okay because Merle decides to open his big trap.

“Well now Officer Friendly, ‘bout damned time you woke up from your princess nap. Darleena here was getting’ worried that’cha weren’t going to come to any time soon” Merle booms out, still holding tightly to Andrea who was startled at the voice coming from the bed.

Andrea was still focused wide eyed on Rick as he started trying to struggle his way to sitting up, it being made more difficult by the fact he was trying to keep ahold of Daryl’s hand while getting up. Andrea feels a small smile fighting to break through at the fact that Daryl automatically grabs Ricks arm and slowly lifts him to a sitting position even while still looking dazed at the man being awake.

“Well now, at touching as this is I feel we need to make a plan to get moving and get the man before he tries to make another run for it” Andrea says while subtly burrowing a little closer into Merle’s side.

Merle squeezes Andrea tight and looks to where his brother is still looking at Rick as though if he blinks the man will disappear. He sees the exact moment that Daryl realizes what Andrea has told them when Daryl bolts up straight and looks over at them with wide eyes, mouth hanging open. Merle snorts out a laugh before giving Andrea one last squeeze and stepping forwards towards the two men. He watches as Rick finally tears his gaze from the side of his brothers face and looks at him with wariness. Merle knows that he and Rick are gonna have to have a long talk at some point but now’s not that time since they need to get the man responsible for putting Rick in the bed in the first place. Hoping to put the man at ease he gives a small smile before talking.

“Well Officer Friendly as happy as we are to have you back the reunion dinner’s gonna have to wait a few hours. Seems that we gotsa a pick-up job we gotta take care of real quick ‘fore we can start hashing things out. Just know that I ain’t got no problems with you and I’s already started amends making with the others. I know it’s gonna be awhile before you fully trust me but I ain’t losing my brother again, just so we’re clear” Merle states strongly and clearly while looking straight into Rick’s eyes.

Merle watches as Rick seems to ponder over his words and give a quick nod before looking dopily back at Daryl with a little smile. Merle rolls his eyes before huffing and clapping a hand on Daryl’s shoulder, pleased to notice less of a physical reaction to the sudden touch than had been there even a month ago. Pulling on Daryl’s shoulder he gets him to finally look at him though it seems hard for Daryl to tear his gaze from Rick.

“Alright so here’s the plan. You go and get little man out here so he can see his daddy and I’ll go get the old farmer and the doc to come out here and check him over. Then we’ll go and get Officer Prick to come with me and Andrea to pick up the asshole” Merle says authoritatively.

Daryl opens his mouth, eyes tight and looking pissed and Merle knows what he wants to say before he even draws a breath.

“Now listen little brother, I know you want to go with, but we need people who will keep cool heads to bring the man here. Now Officer Prick ain’t my first choice either but he’s got the badge and can get us to the man quicker than us just trying to bust the doors down. Now that man here just woke up and while it seems he has his memories I’m sure there’s a lot for you’se two ta catch up on” Merle states softly but firmly.

Daryl looks at Merle as though trying to see deep within his mind before giving a quick jerk of a nod and clasping Merle open handed on the shoulder.

“Ok. Merle you come with me so we can go and get Hershel and Siddiq moving out this way and get the “legal” paperwork I got to apprehend Morales. Shane got ahold of his boss and told him what was going on and got the go ahead to check in with Atlanta P.D. and let them know that we’re apprehending a suspect. We figure even if we can at least get him checked into Kings’ County jail they’ll be able to hold him based on the witness testimony and positive identification. Maybe if the Sheriff remembers we’ll be able to work something out but since we’re so close to the start either way he’ll be where we can pick him up and take care of the problem afterwards” Andrea says briskly, deciding its time to take charge and finish this interaction before it goes on too long.

“Damn. Beauty, brains and a plan. This woman sure has it all, don’t she” Merle says with a curl of his lip and a twinkle in his eye.

Daryl snorts at his brother’s antics and then turns to look back at Rick. Rick is sitting up in bed looking between the three other occupants with a small smile on his face, though he does look like he wants to ask questions about how he came to be where he is now. Daryl decides that Andrea and Merle are right, he needs to stay here and try to fill in some blanks for Rick and without Shane there it will be easier. He’s not sure how he’ll get Hershel and Siddiq out here, never-mind Carl, without arousing Lori’s suspicion. Then he glances at the clock and realizes that it’s just about the usual time those three come out and check on Rick any ways and shrugs.

“Alright well Carl and the others will be on their way out here soon anyways for their daily checkup on Rick anyways so no need to go blabbing our mouths round. I’ll stay here and talk to Rick a little while you get the rest settled” Daryl finally says. Then he looks at Merle and the light he sees in his brother’s eyes lets him know that if he’s given a chance he’ll give Morales a little physical retribution, so he nods and wishes the pair luck as they turn to walk out the door.

Daryl stands for a moment looking at the door and trying to muster the courage to turn around and look at Rick. He had been waiting for months to be able to talk to the man and now that he actually could he wasn’t sure where to start. Most of the family hinted that there was another reason behind Rick giving him power of attorney than that he felt brotherly feelings towards Daryl, but he wasn’t too sure about that. It had taken a long time for Daryl to talk with anyone about his feelings for Rick, he was even afraid to talk about them with Carol. It wasn’t until Connie that Daryl had found someone he had been able to talk to because she had never met Rick or seen their interactions with each other. Taking a deep breath Daryl turned and found Rick looking back at him with amusement glittering in his eyes.

“What” Daryl mumbles, bringing his thumb to his mouth so he can nibble on the cuticle.

“Why don’t you come over here and ask me some of the questions burning in your brain before we get another interruption” Rick says softly.

Daryl walks closer to the bed and then sits on the edge of the chair closest to Rick’s right side. He looks down at his hands not sure what question to ask first, since there are so many running through his head right now. As he’s staring at his hands clutching each other in front of him, he sees Rick slowly reach out his hand and clasp Daryl’s forearm.

“Hey. It’s alright. I’m here and I’m not leaving ya’ll again” Rick murmurs, his other hand coming up to brush Daryl’s bangs back from his forehead, trying to get Daryl to look at him.

Daryl startles at the unexpected contact but then settles down again. Rick notices and a small frown forms on his face as he wonders what had happened to change the man in front of him so much. The Daryl he knew at the end never startled at contact from Rick, in fact Rick was one of the few the man wouldn’t actively flinch away from. Rick remembers the smirk he had hidden one day in Alexandria when Carol had tried the same thing of brushing Daryl’s bangs back and he had flinched before swatting at her hand to keep her from touching him. He knew that they had a lot to talk about, not least of all Rick’s feelings for the man, but felt that there were more pressing issues.

“So, I’m guessing quite a few people remember and I’m with you all now. My question is where are we and how did I get here?” Rick murmurs, trying to keep his voice low and smooth so as to not startle Daryl.

Daryl takes a deep breath and tries to organize his thoughts. He knows that there are certain things you needed to avoid talking to amnesiac patients about but honestly he’s so happy to see the man finally up he’s not sure he can keep from blurting it all out. Deciding to just hit the highlights Daryl starts talking.


End file.
